On Wednesday, The NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Capitals opened the first full-service sportsbook at a major sports arena in the United States.

William Hill Sportsbook Opens in the Home of Washington Wizards

On Wednesday, the first US full-service sportsbook at a major arena anywhere in the United States opened doors. Capital One Arena, the home of the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Capitals, will now welcome sports fans eager to place a wager. William Hill Sportsbook is directly accessible from Capital One Arena and will be so during all major competitions involving the home teams, and during regular business hours. To get to the premises, customers won’t need to leave the building.

Ceasers CEO Tom Reeg called the opening of the sportsbook a groundbreaking moment and a new paradigm for sports betting. He said that this is the first integrated sportsbook in a physical stadium in the US. Caesars bought William Hill in April. William Hill revealed details on the Capital One Arena project last October. Fans were anticipating the first of its kind sportsbook location inside an arena.

Everyone Will Watch How the Sportsbook Will Do

Ted Leonsis, the owner of Capitals, Wizards, and the arena, has hopes for profit from the vast sports betting expansion across the country. He hopes that the US will continue “chipping away at the stigma of gambling.”

Leonis said that the fans now have an interest in the outcome of the game. He said that this is a natural extension of what’s happening but in a more modern and transparent way. Leonis stated that the physical sportsbook is probably the first of many to come to the country. He said that a lot of other leagues are pushing for it.

Now everyone will watch what kind of an example Capital One Arena will set. Fans will go from an arena to a sportsbook for the first time on Saturday, when the Wizards play with the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3 of the first round of the playoff series.

DC United Hosting a Sportsbook at Its Arena

Last year, DC United partnered up with FanDuel to host a dedicated retail sportsbook at its home arena, Audi Field. The Major soccer league (MLS) signed a multi-year partnership deal with the leading sports betting company to bring sports betting to its arena. FanDuel is the first to break ground in the MLS.