Foxwoods Resort & Casino in Connecticut held Wednesday the official grand opening of DraftKings Sportsbook, a 12.000 square foot venue that now offers online sports betting and iGame options. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, former Boston Celtic Kendrick Perkins placed the sportsbook’s first bet. 

Perkins’ presence at the opening is the product of a 50-page agreement with the brand which is expected to benefit the casino and DraftKings. “A sign of our partnership and friendship for many years to come”, said Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Chairman Rodney Butler after the former Celtic got his ticket. 

“What this does for our brand is incredible”, co-founder and CEO of DraftKings, Jason Robins, said during the ceremony. 

Since they had its soft opening a month ago, the results have been positive: “We’ve probably taken in over 70,000 bets in total since the opening here at Foxwoods since Nov. 12”, president and CEO of Foxwoods Resort & Casino, Jason Guyot, said. 

The sportsbook does not only offer the chance of placing bets, but also offers a sports bar with a menu featuring items like desserts, short ribs and sliders. Guyot described the new sportsbooks as “a sportsbook, a restaurant, a racebook”. 

The space also includes wall-to-wall televisions, anchored by one of the largest LED screens in the industry at 50 feet by 30 feet, and multiple VIP rooms.

State Senator Cathy Osten, Sprague, also hopes it will benefit the state and is working on legislation to make sure the casino money meant for municipalities does not get moved elsewhere in the state’s general fund. She estimated it could be another $80 million. 

“Right now it’s about $130 million so it would be about $200 million going out to municipalities around the state”, Sen. Osten said. 

Tribal sports betting first went live by the end of September, when DraftKings opened its temporary sportsbook in Foxwoods with a ribbon-cutting ceremony where Governor Ned Lamont did the honors by placing the first bet ever. The Mohegan Sun casino inaugurated its temporary location as well, in alliance with FanDuel.

Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2021/12/13/60578-permanent-draftkings-sportsbook-at-foxwoods-casino-holds-official-grand-opening

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