Elys Opening Second D.C. Sportsbook
Elys Game Technology has announced that it has received regulatory approval to open a second retail sportsbook location in the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., thanks to an expanded partnership together with the Grand Central Restaurant and Sportsbook. Elys and Grand Central opened their very first joint sportsbook venture in the city on October 4th, 2021.
Elys Game Technology has revealed that it has received regulatory approval to launch and operate a second retail sportsbook location in the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. ©12019/Pixabay
Opening Remains Subject to Approval from DC Department of Small & Local Business Development (DSLBD) & DC Office of Lottery and Gaming (DCOLG)
Up and coming sportsbook operator Elys Game Technology has revealed that it has gained preliminary approval from the DC Department of Small & Local Business Development (DSLBD) & DC Office of Lottery and Gaming (DCOLG) to launch and operate a second physical retail sportsbook location in the United States’ capital city, Washington D.C. The development will be facilitated largely through its broadened partnership with the Grand Central Restaurant and Sportsbook.
As of writing, the actual location of the newly proposed sportsbook has yet to be revealed. In fact, its entire opening is still up in the air, largely because the project is still subject to approval by the DC Department of Small & Local Business Development (DSLBD) and DC Office of Lottery and Gaming (DCOLG).
The news of Elys and Grand Central’s second sportsbook endeavor fortuitously arrives on the exact one year anniversary of the launch of their very first sportsbook, which opened on October 4th, 2021. The facility in question, the Grand Central Restaurant and Sportsbook, is also the first sportsbook located at a bar which is not operated by the state lottery’s Gambet brand. Much like the forthcoming launch, last year’s opening came after Grand Central and Elys were granted a Class B operator license by the DC Office of Lottery and Gaming (DCOLG) for the venture.
Elys Believes Sportsbook Could Help Small Businesses’ Post-Pandemic Recovery
To celebrate the announcement of Elys and Grand Central Restaurant’s second sportsbook location in Washington D.C., Michele Ciavarella, executive chairman of Elys, credited the encouraging performance of the first location as a chief driving factor behind the announcement of the second:
“We are extremely pleased with the strong performance of this first location in the Adams Morgan district of DC, as illustrated by the continuous growth in betting handle. Given this joint success, we are proud to now announce plans for a second sportsbook location with the ownership of Grand Central in DC.”– Michele Ciavarella, Executive Chairman, Elys Game Technology, Press Release
Ciavarella went on to express hope that Elys’ sportsbook projects could inject some vitality into D.C.’s local economy and help assist local and small businesses’ post-pandemic economic recovery:
“We believe our sportsbook solutions could play an important role in supporting the recovery of bars, restaurants and other small businesses post pandemic, and are witnessing very strong interest and demand for our solutions and our highly popular Build-Your-Bet feature for sports bettors.”
Finally, Ciavarella ended her statements by thanking both the DC Department of Small & Local Business Development (DSLBD) and DC Office of Lottery and Gaming (DCOLG) for their help in getting the first location off the ground, anticipating a strong working relationship moving forward:
“We appreciate the support of the DCOLG in establishing and developing our first MSP location and together with DSLDB we now look forward to working closely with District officials and ownership to advance plans for this second location and others underway through this new implementation model.”
BetMGM Announced Partnership with NBC Sports in September 2022
In other major recent sports betting news, big league sportsbook operator BetMGM announced in September 2022 that it had signed a lucrative deal together with TV network NBC Sports. The deal will involve it providing weekly wagering integrations to be displayed during the broadcaster’s forthcoming coverage of National Football League (NFL) games.
The sports betting giant will also furnish the Football Night in America show with real-time betting odds in the guise of a scoring ticket, which will also be prominently featured during the show itself. This will also include a weekly segment hosted by former NFL quarterback Chris Simms and sports betting and fantasy sports pioneer Matthew Berry.
BetMGM’s chief revenue officer Matt Prevost emphasized the significance of working with such a storied TV network, promising NBC fans that their sports viewing experience would soon improve thanks to BetMGM’s betting insights:
“It is a tremendous opportunity to partner with the talented team at NBC Sports and have the ability to engage with football fans nationwide. We look forward to delivering NBC viewers our BetMGM trading team insights as well as entertaining segments that showcase the excitement of betting with BetMGM.”– Matt Prevost, Chief Revenue Officer, BetMGM, Press Release
Aristocrat Gaming and New England Patriots Penned Deal Together also in September 2022
Also in September 2022, sports technology provider Aristocrat Gaming deepened its relationship with the National Football League (NFL) with news that it was set to become the sports betting partner of the legendary NFL team and brand the New England Patriots.
In return, Aristocrat will enjoy a significant promotional boost thanks to their signage being prominently on display throughout the team’s home venue, Gillette Stadium, placed in locations such as in-stadium, on the concourse, as well as within in-game branding.
Murray Kohl, vice-president of corporate sponsorships for Kraft Sports + Entertainment, owners of the New England Patriots, made sure to mention that Patriots branding would also be featured on Aristocrat’s upcoming slot machines:
“The Patriots and Gillette Stadium are excited to partner with Aristocrat Gaming and explore many new opportunities to engage with our fans. We are thrilled to work with their innovative team on multiple activation and branding opportunities at Gillette Stadium throughout the Patriots season, as well as have the Patriots branding featured on their slot machines nationwide.”
