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March 27 (UPI) -- In what will be the first of its kind in the United States, the Capital One Arena, home of the NHL's Washington Capitals and NBA's Washington Wizards, will host a sportsbook inside the arena. Ted Leonsis, owner of the Wizards and Capitals announced Wednesday that the sportsbook would replace The Green Turtle sports bar, which is on the bottom floor of the arena.
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Leonsis already announced that his company, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, had purchased out the lease three years early for the sports bar.
"There will be a sportsbook inside the building accessible from the outside, and depending on the league and depending on the event, it might be accessible from the inside, as well," Leonsis said.
In February, the District of Columbia council voted to legalize sports betting, and it is expected that fans will be able to start betting on professional sporting events later this year.
Along with Capital One Arena, Audi Field, the Entertainment & Sports Arena and Nationals Park will have walk-in betting.
The district's lottery also is getting involved, putting together a citywide mobile app showing where people can place sports bets for games across the country.
Leonsis already has his hand in various betting companies, including SportRadar, WinView and DraftKings.
"I don't think people are going to come to us and say, 'The guy missed a 3-point shot, I didn't cover the spread,'" Leonsis said.
"We need to find a partner that says, 'Yes, that's what we want to do too and not just want to do the cookie cutter and do what has always been done.'"
