A smattering of local dignitaries, including an 11-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and several municipal and state politicians, appeared at an oasis in the midst of a swath of green-clad sports fields on Thursday afternoon to open the doors to the newest retail Arizona sports betting option from DraftKings.
The assembled cadre of attendees at the TPC Scottsdale golf course saw all the typical first day activities, including a ceremonial ribbon-cutting under the Boston operator’s crown-studded logo. The first bets came from the future NFL Hall of Famer, former Arizona Cardinals star Larry Fitzgerald, and the other keynote speakers from the day.
DraftKings Project 17 Months In The Making
It was the final chapter in a 17-month odyssey that began in the same spot, on the corner of Bell and the Greenway-Hayden Loop, with DraftKings Arizona Sportsbook opening its first retail sportsbook at a PGA host site.
Each of the day’s speakers hit the nail on the head of what Thursday’s opening ceremony meant, with longtime NFL lineman and former ESPN personality Mike Golic Sr. summing much of what brought the folks together during his opening speech as the event’s emcee.
“This is going to serve as such a great gathering spot for … golfers from around the country, tourists from around the country or locals as well,” Golic told the crowd.
What’s At Retail DraftKings Arizona Sportsbook
The TPC Scottsdale project is the latest in-person wagering option in a state that also has online operators offering Arizona sportsbook promo codes.
The biggest thing that stands out as one walks through the main entrance of the TPC at Scottsdale sportsbook is wall-to-wall LED boards that can broadcast various sporting events. The boards are an excellent billboard for the operator when no games are taking place.
An airy bar complete with overstuffed booths and table seating is to the right, complete with full food and drink options. The retail betting apparatus awaits to the left.
The ultra-modern look of the sportsbook inside contrasts the almost mid-century modern aesthetic on display outside the facility, with cropped palm trees adorning pale brick walls on each side.
Green LED lights adorn various portions of the facility, reminding visitors that DraftKings’ color scheme – long a feature of company branding, including its Arizona sports betting apps offering – is never more than an arm’s length away. An airy patio is available to take solace in the (soon-to-be) temperate Arizona fall climate.
PGA Tour Reaction To Sportsbook
Few people attending Thursday summed up the importance of opening the tour’s first sportsbook facility a literal pitch and a putt away from the clubhouse of the facility that hosts “The People’s Open” better than Scott Warfield.
Warfield, the vice president of gaming for the tour, said the collective’s decision to go with TPC at Scottsdale as the PGA’s first retail sportsbook was a no-brainer. The TPC Scottsdale sportsbook broke ground in December. Warfield said DraftKings is the right operator to partner with for such a facility.
On a sun-splashed early fall afternoon, it was easy to see what the future could hold for the Scottsdale facility, complementing the coliseum-like course in ways that local officials and PGA Tour executives like Warfield envisioned when Arizona sports betting launched in September 2021.
“This new facility is worthy of Scottsdale and Arizona’s reputation as a world class destination and will help the PGA Tour maximize the economic tourism and charitable impacts we contribute to this great state and passion,” Warfield said.
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