DraftKings and Twin River Worldwide Holdings on Thursday announced the opening of a temporary retail sportsbook at Mardi Gras Casino, weeks before the planned resumption of three major U.S. professional sports leagues.
The DraftKings Sportsbook at the Black Hawk casino will open on Friday, joining Betfred as the only national sportsbooks to operate brick-and-mortar properties throughout the state. DraftKings was one of four operators — along with FanDuel, BetMGM, and BetRivers – that launched mobile sports betting apps on May 1, the first day licensed sportsbooks could legally accept wagers in Colorado. Monarch Black Hawk opened a temporary kiosk-only book on July 1 and is building out a permanent sportsbook.
“As our partners at Mardi Gras Casino work to expand their current operations and location, we are thrilled to come together to provide the most exciting, real-time gaming opportunities as sports begin to make their return,” DraftKings Chief Business Officer Ezra Kucharz said in a statement.
Temporary sportsbook
When the temporary sportsbook opens on Friday, the area located on the first floor of the casino will include eight self-service betting kiosks, a betting window with a cashier, and several large flat-screen TVs. Construction on a permanent sportsbook is underway, the companies said in a statement, with an expected completion around the start of football season.
The sportsbook at Mardi Gras Casino will be the seventh DraftKings-branded retail location, following other properties in New Jersey, New York, Iowa, and Mississippi.
“This partnership with DraftKings allows us to provide an unmatched sports betting experience to Coloradans, not only with their mobile betting access, but also with this exciting DraftKings retail sportsbook location,” Twin River Worldwide Holdings CEO George Papanier said in a statement.
DraftKings and Twin River Worldwide Holdings announced the opening of their temporary retail sportsbook at the Mardi Gras Casino in Black Hawk, CO. Starting tomorrow, sports fans in Colorado can place bets legally in-person & online. Full release here: https://t.co/JY4eYI1sxZ pic.twitter.com/0P9tgmGxKa
— DraftKings News (@DraftKingsNews) July 9, 2020
Return of sports
A slew of professional sports are expected to return over the next several weeks. Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies open their regular season on July 24 at Texas, while the NBA Denver Nuggets make their debut in the Orlando bubble on Aug. 1 vs. Miami. The NHL Avalanche goes into the playoffs, which begin Aug., 1 as a No. 4 seed and have a bye in the first round.
At DraftKings Sportsbook, the Rockies have odds of 150/1 to win the World Series. Bettors at DraftKings will receive odds of 25/1 on the Nuggets to win the NBA Championship and 8/1 on the Colorado Avalanche to win the NHL’s Stanley Cup.
DraftKings closed on Thursday at $32.89 a share, down 0.29 or 0.89%.
