DraftKings made an official announcement that they will start offering sports betting services at del Lago Resort and Casino, which is located in New York. Starting this Friday, visitors will be able to place bets on their favorite sports by visiting the facility’s sportsbook, which is the third one in the state at the moment.
Representatives of both DraftKings and del Lago will get together on Friday, as well as many other local officials, to participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. That will announce the new sportsbook officially open for business. The first bets will be made by some of the representatives and officials who attend the opening ceremony.
The entire sports betting facility is 6,000 feet and is ready to open. Four months ago, the Gaming Commission of New York gave a green light for the plan that was submitted by del Lago officials who wanted to open a sportsbook. Their idea was to cut down on other casino games such as table games and slot machines to make room for a sportsbook to open. The casino cut down a total of 66 slot machines, but that’s not too bad as they have 1,650 more left.
Despite slots being cut down, the number of employees who work there will not be cut down. In fact, the number of employees might increase after the sportsbook becomes fully operational. Moreover, the casino stated that the slot machines which were reduced would probably return, once the construction of the sportsbook completed.
The opening ceremony, as previously stated, will also include a lot of “big” names and special guests. One of the most important guests will be the former NFL player and the legendary quarterback Donovan McNabb. The former professional football player will be there tomorrow to take part in the opening ceremony and join the festivities.
The reason why McNabb is invited is far from arbitrary. He has been in NY for a while and has quite a history there. He even attended Syracuse, where he played not only football but also basketball. However, he will not be able to place bets on his alma as the state of New York strictly prohibits wagering on college teams that are located inside the state.
DraftKings has already opened two sportsbooks in two other states. One of them is located at the Scarlet Pearl in Mississippi, and the other is a part of the Resorts Casino in Atlantic City. Moreover, the company made a deal with Penn National Gaming one month ago. They were given a license to offer online sports betting in as many as seven states in the next decade. They were also given an option to extend this to another ten years in the future.
The addition of the sports betting part to the casino is not the only change that is underway at del Lago. One of the big announcements was made by the family that owns the casino — the Wilmot family. They stated that they are selling 50% of the stake, and it is a decision made by Thomas Wilmot, the head of the family. He tried to lobby state officials so that he could get some financial help as the casino has been struggling recently. However, he failed in his attempt, so he decided to sell half of the company to improve its overall financial status.
