The Washington Wizards are positioning themselves to be on the vanguard of the NBA's gambling revolution. Team owner Ted Leonsis announced on Wednesday that the Green Turtle Bar inside Capital One Arena will be turned into a sportsbook.
“There will be a sportsbook in the building accessible from the outside,” he said, per ESPN's Darren Rovell. “Depending on the league, depending on the event, it might be accessible from the inside as well, and they'll place bets. It will be in that venue, and that's where we'll settle up.”
Responding to questions of how bets will be settled, Leonsis stressed that the team playing host at Capital One Arena – also home to the NHL's Washington Capitals and Arena Football League's Washington Valors – will stand completely apart from the process.
“Everyone's looking at how will we settle in real time these bets, so I don't think people are gonna come to us and say ‘Your guy missed a three-point shot, I didn't cover my spread.' They're gonna have to go ‘Ugh. I gotta go settle my bet there,' which they're doing now.”
The Supreme Court ruled in March of last year that states could legalize sports betting, striking down a federal law in place since 1992 that prevented the vast majority of states from doing so. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has been in favor of legalizing sports betting since 2014. Last July, the NBA announced an agreement with MGM Resorts International, making it the league's official gambling partner – the first such partnership between a professional sports league and gambling entity.
Follow Us
Subscribe