Live retail sports betting is now available in the state of New Hampshire after DraftKings launched on Wednesday. The DraftKings Sportsbook at The Brook is now up and running, although there are some new protocols in place.
The sports betting industry in New Hampshire launched in December, and DraftKings was tasked with online betting. DK has built up an extensive sports betting presence throughout the company, but it is the clear leader in New Hampshire.
All employees and guests at The Brook will have to wear masks inside the facility, and hand sanitizing stations are in place throughout. The entire casino will be closed every Monday and Tuesday to allow the cleaning staff to sanitize the facility.
The Brook is located in the same location as the former Seabrook Greyhound track operated. The casino was able to reopen during June, but with limited capacity.
Pandemic Delayed Opening
It was no secret that DraftKings was set to open up a retail sportsbook at The Brook, and this was supposed to happen almost five months ago. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the company to alter its plans, and it kept customers from placing in-person bets until this week.
The sportsbook was supposed to open before the 2020 NCAA basketball tournament that was ultimately canceled by COVID. When the casino was shut down to stop the spread of the virus, plans to open the sportsbook were postponed.
DraftKings Sportsbook was also waiting until more live sporting events were back up and running, and that has taken place over the last few weeks. With the NBA and NHL Playoffs scheduled for next week, the casino is expecting large crowds.
Both The Brook and DraftKings had some significant events planned for their initial opening, but it’s unclear if they will be doing anything special this time. Missing out on the NCAA Tournament was a massive blow in betting handle and revenue, but that money would be made up with the return of sports.
The DraftKings Sportsbook is located inside of The Stadium, which is the sports entertainment portion of The Brook. There are sports betting kiosks set up throughout, or bettors can visit the windows and place bets with a live teller.
New Hampshire Looking For Big Numbers
New Hampshire was looking for one sports betting operator to become their exclusive partner. The state eventually chose DraftKings as they delivered the best bid.
New Hampshire will keep 51 percent of the total betting revenue that is produced from sports betting. The state will also be entitled to 50 percent of the revenue from all retail locations.
DraftKings has already committed to operating four different retail betting locations in the state, and several cities have already approved the building of a new sportsbook. It’s unclear how many sites DraftKings will be willing to add, but it largely depends on the amount of revenue produced.
The online portion of the industry has already brought in $65 million in total handle. The online and mobile numbers are expected to remain higher than in-person retail, but this gives bettors in New Hampshire a pair of options.
DraftKings is still committed to providing terrific retail sports betting service, even though its online platform dominates in other states. Most states that have allowed sports betting have several different operators in the market, but that won’t be the case in New Hampshire.
