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There’s a first time for everything.
DraftKings Sportsbook at Wrigley Field celebrated the opening of its betting windows and kiosks with a brief celebration on March 15. Former Chicago Bears lineman Kyle Long placed the first bet to commemorate the day, wagering $100 on the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series, according to DraftKings spokesperson Alyson Andrules.
The DK sportsbook Wrigleyville has been open since June 2023 as a bar and restaurant but had not accepted wagers until March 15.
“The reception has been great since opening the DraftKings Sportsbook at Wrigley Field last summer as a state-of-the-art restaurant and bar, and we are excited to take our flagship venue to the next level with retail sports betting operations,” DraftKings Vice President of Product Operations Michael Kibort said in a news release.
Chicago’s Wrigley Field DK Sportsbook has top-of-the-line amenities
As far as retail (in-person) sportsbooks go, DraftKings Sportsbook at Wrigley Field is impressive. It’s a 17,000-square-foot, two-story facility with seating for 300. It features 32 self-service betting kiosks and seven better windows.
According to DraftKings (NASDAQ: DKNG), it has a 2,000-square-foot video screen that can televise 25 games simultaneously. The sportsbook’s food service offers bar fare from food service Levy, including:
- Brick oven pizzas
- Burgers
- Pastrami sandwiches
- Chicken sandwiches
- Salads
- Nachos with adobo slow-roasted pork or chicken
- Jalapeno and artichoke dip
- Roasted red pepper hummus
In all, the space offers just about everything a sports bettor — Cubs fan or otherwise — could want out of a sportsbook experience.
And that’s exactly what DraftKings had hoped for when it first conceptualized the sportsbook: a premier wagering area made possible through the combined efforts of the operator, team, and food service firm.
“Together, we’re able to deliver customers a safe and regulated way to get in on the action while enjoying an incredible space to watch live sports,” Kibort said in the DraftKings press release.
How the new sportsbook will impact DraftKings
As strictly a revenue source, DraftKings Sportsbook at Wrigley Field won’t significantly impact DraftKings’ bottom line. That’s normal, though, as sportsbooks generate more than 90% of their action from online sportsbooks, not in-person ones.
However, live sports betting at the Wrigley Field sportsbook could boost DraftKings’ brand recognition. Each month the sportsbook is locked in a battle for handle (total amount bet) with FanDuel. The latter typically captures the most handle each month in Illinois, but not by much.
In December, FanDuel generated about $13 million more action than DraftKings, a relatively small gap considering the two companies combined for around $750 million in handle.
Now that sports betting is live at Wrigley Field, it will serve as a small step in gaining new customers (and keeping existing ones), a move that will likely close the gap between DraftKings and FanDuel ever so slightly.
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