Sports Betting Could Be Heading To Capital One Arena In D.C.

• The Green Turtle restaurant is going to be replaced by The Shell Raiser Lounge
• The Lounge is likely going to be a sportsbook
• Washington could have active sportsbooks by October or sooner

WASHINGTON – As sports betting is legalized in Washington D.C. a sportsbook could be opened in the Capital One Arena by the end of the year.

What this means for locals of Washington is that the Green Turtle that resided in the arena is going to close down. Even though the restaurant and bar had three more years of their lease left, they got bought out by Monumental Sports and Entertainment. Monumental plans on turning the Green Turtle into The Shell Raiser Lounge.

Although they have not specifically said what they are going to do with the space they bought, local outlets and sports fans believe that it is going to be a sportsbook.

The Reason Why It’s Likely A Sportsbook

Early this year, A22-0594 (formerly B22-0944) was signed into law. This act is projected to become an active law on May 23, 2019.

This act is making it possible for the district’s lottery operators to run and operate sportsbooks. Because Washington does not have any casinos or similar gaming facilities, the act indicates that sportsbooks that can be built in arenas or stadiums instead.

Although the act was passed, the question about who was going to provide the technology for sports betting operations was still in question.

This issue was fixed when B23-0025 was passed earlier this year. The bill sped up the process and it selected Intralot to oversee operations of the technology used in sportsbooks. This bill is projected to become law on May 9, 2018.

Information About The Location

The Green Turtle is a restaurant and bar that has been located in the Capital One Arena for a few years. The restaurant actually leads right into the stadium. This makes it the perfect location to put a sportsbook in the arena.

Monumental said in a press release that The Shell Raiser Lounge is going to be “a one-of-a-kind, open gathering space serving game-style food and drinks for all postseason Wizards and Capitals home games.”

This further cements that this lounge could be a sportsbook, especially when you pair it with what Monumental Sports CEO Ted Leonsis said to the Washington Post last year when he was asked about his future sports betting lounge.

“I could see someone comes here for lunch [or] someone gets here at 5 o’clock, they’re watching other games, they’re placing their bets,” said Leonsis.

If Monumental is indeed opening a sportsbook, it will still take a couple of months before it will open. The Green Turtle will continue to operate until April 9 when the Washington Wizards’ regular season ends. After the restaurant closes, Monumental is going to want to open their new lounge before basketball and hockey starts up again in October of this year.