DraftKings Opens First Ever Brick & Mortar Sportsbook in Mississippi. What’s next?

DraftKings Envisions Mississippi as the First of Many Physical Sportsbook Locations to Come

DraftKings has been a pioneering entity in the daily fantasy sports industry. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court shut down a federal law prohibiting betting on sports. While the law never really did ban sports betting, it did forbid states from legally permitting wagers, all except Nevada, of course.

DraftKings has been a vocal player in that progression as well. They jumped out as the first option for bettors in New Jersey when that state became the first to make sports betting officially legal. DraftKings has added the charismatic former NBA star Charles Barkley to help them push the popularity of the new DraftKings Sportsbook. On Friday, DraftKings took another giant step towards being the undisputed leader.

Scarlet Pearl Casino

They opened their first physical location at the Scarlet Pearl Casino in D’Iberville, Mississippi. Draftkings is set to open in Atlantic City for their next brick and mortar location to take live sports bets. DraftKings will be able to take bets within the building at the Scarlet Pearl, but unlike New Jersey, Mississippi has yet to legalize mobile or online betting. Some leading experts in the sports gaming industry feel this is just a formality that will be changed before long.

The Atlantic City physical sportsbook venue will be the first of its kind to offer both ways of betting to fans. No one thinks this is the end of locations across the nation where fans can legally place bets on games. There is a growing appreciation as to why this method of sports betting may be favorable. Many people still feel uncertain when using their mobile devices for financial purposes, even gambling. The ability to place bets in person offers a comfortable sense of security for many. As these new venues open up, expect the percentage of fans who take advantage of the landmark Supreme Court Ruling to rise.

Next Physical Locations

There are at least three states that DraftKings may discover the red carpet is rolling out for another of their physical locations. Delaware, New Mexico and West Virginia are already early players in the statewide rush to establish sports betting opportunities. There are actually true odds for when the remaining states will succumb to the wishes of their residents. You would think more states would be rushing to take advantage of the tax windfall. We’ve seen the exceedingly impressive New Jersey Online Gambling revenue numbers and it seems to be gaining steam.

In West Virginia especially, where inherent mountains make mobile connections sporadic, physical locations for fans to place a bet are a no-brainer. There are also existing casinos in a variety of locations that will welcome sports bettors with open arms and offer a number of enticing perks at their own gaming tables as well.

The Del Largo Resort & Casino in Waterloo, New York has already inked a deal with DraftKings. New York hasn’t formally changed state law to make sports betting legal, but as with many states, it is all a matter of time and patience. The governor in Pennsylvania signed the sports gambling law roughly a year ago. It took nearly a year for the federal government to open the door for what Pennsylvanians felt was going to happen all along. There are Pennsylvania casinos with Sportsbook licenses, but DraftKings has built themselves into an appealing manager of the odds, so to speak.

It should come as no surprise as the number of states yet to come on board with legal sports betting options, might want to entrust the operations of such with a proven entity. Certainly, DraftKings and their closest competitor FanDuel will be standing tall to assure state governments they are the best overseers of this newly discovered avenue for state revenue.

DraftKings has stepped into the limelight since the ignited the country with daily fantasy sports games. From their humble beginning in Boston, they have grown to be a model for the industry. This newest option for eager fans to bet on their favorite teams is the first of its kind for DraftKings. It will likely be far from the last.