The Foxwoods Resort Casino has a new DraftKings sportsbook that “softly” opened to the public on Saturday. It boasts more than 12,000 square feet, including a 50-by-30-foot LCD monitor, 300 linear foot wall-hugging TV screens, two full bars and food service on both floors, plush furniture and two dozen beers on tap. Topping it all off, sports wagers can be placed with a cashier at any betting window, or at a self-service kiosk.
DraftKings Expands Retail Footprint
Foxwoods invited journalists to Friday’s preview, but they waited until Friday morning to make public the opening of the casino to the public.
Foxwoods’ president Jason Guyot stated to reporters Friday, “We wanted to do something here that nobody can match. That LED display is very similar to the one you see at Gillette Stadium.”
Foxwoods Casino and Mohegan Sun, the two tribal casinos in southeastern Connecticut, opened temporary betting rooms on September 30.
Foxwoods closed the temporary sportsbook at its original racebook to make way for the DraftKings Sportsbook. The new sportsbook is located in an area that was formerly home to the Stony Brook Brewery. It closed its doors in 2020 when COVID-19 broke out. The Sugar Factory, Scorpion Bar and Play Arena are its immediate neighbors.
Sportsbook Opens Ahead of Time
Guyot indicated that the soft-opening of the new location was slightly ahead of schedule, despite supply-chain problems that delayed materials delivery during construction. He stated that sports-betting activity at the temporary location has exceeded expectations, but no official revenue figures supporting that assertion have yet been released.
Connecticut Lottery Corp. is offering retail sports betting in Connecticut. Six locations have been opened so far. A total of fifteen lottery locations were authorized. None of these locations can be found within 25 miles of Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot, which are the home of the casinos. Online sports betting is offered by Foxwoods Sun, Mohegan Sun, as well as the lottery.
Guyot explained that DraftKings opened its sportsbook as Foxwoods is still recovering from the impact of the coronavirus virus pandemic. He indicated that the casino had already hired 55 additional employees to the sportsbook and has 300 to 350 more openings all over the property.
He added, “It’s been a tough 18 months, having to lay off so many people and now trying to replace them. We compare ourselves to 2019, pre-pandemic, and we’re still not back to those levels.”
Foxwoods is organizing a ribbon-cutting event for DraftKings Sportsbook, December 8.