DraftKings Makes Another Big Move In Las Vegas With 90,000-Square-Foot Technology Hub

Despite not operating a sportsbook in Nevada, DraftKings continues to expand its presence in Las Vegas.

The company recently declared its plans to open a 90,000-square-foot technology hub in Las Vegas the following year.

DraftKings is set to take up nearly an entire building at UnCommons, a mixed-use community spanning 40 acres in the swiftly expanding southwest region of Las Vegas. Interestingly, a few days following the announcement by DraftKings, Station Casinos obtained approval to construct a new casino in the vicinity.

DraftKings creating a unique Las Vegas office experience

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated many employees to work from home for a year or more. The newly designed DraftKings office aims to attract these workers back to a comfortable and mindful work environment.

The new office of DraftKings will house over 130 dedicated sports trading desks and will be equipped with a variety of amenities for the company’s use. These include:

• Full multimedia walls
• Casino training pit
• An interactive 500-square-foot putt-view putting green.
• Private cafeteria

Just like major tech companies such as Google, the new DraftKings office will offer unique amenities for its employees that are not typically found in most sportsbook operations. These include on-site haircuts, manicures, pedicures, private and public outdoor areas, rooms for mothers, a prayer suite, among others.

DraftKings deepens ties with Las Vegas community

DraftKings anticipates that their new expansion will result in the company employing over 1,000 individuals in Nevada. This is not the company’s first establishment in Las Vegas; they previously opened an office with a capacity of 300 people in January 2020.

DraftKings’ co-founder and president, Matt Kalish, stated:

We aim to establish a global standard workplace environment to nurture DraftKings’ innovation, strengthen our local footprint, and increase community participation. We were excited to find that UnCommons shares these rigorous standards in line with our ambitious goals.

This new office will solidly establish DraftKings within the Las Vegas community. Last year, DraftKings entered into a sponsorship deal with UNLV for the college’s Center for Gaming Innovation.

This agreement grants the sportsbook operator access to emerging local gaming industry talent and potentially the first glimpse of new technology. Furthermore, it strengthens DraftKings’ connections with the Las Vegas community.

DraftKings acquired the Vegas Sports Information Network (VSIN) earlier this year. The multimedia broadcasting platform operates studios at both Circa and South Point casinos.

When will DraftKings open a Las Vegas sportsbook?

Just a couple of months following a significant purchase, a new office announcement has been made. This follows a multi-tiered deal announced in August by DraftKings and Golden Nugget Online Gaming.

DraftKings has now taken ownership of Golden Nugget Online Gaming, with the deal also encompassing a marketing partnership with Golden Nugget. It should be noted that the physical casinos are a separate entity from the online gaming division.

DraftKings may not be the owner of Golden Nugget casinos, but their marketing partnership permits the rebranding of all sportsbooks within these casinos as DraftKings Sportsbook operations. This applies not only to existing sportsbooks but also those established in the future within Golden Nugget casinos.

DraftKings has no public intentions of rebranding the Golden Nugget sportsbook in downtown Las Vegas or Laughlin. The online sportsbook operator, which only has a handful of retail locations in the US, is likely waiting for the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) to change the rules regarding online and mobile sportsbook account registration, allowing for mobile and online account sign-ups.

While Station Casinos and others oppose the expansion of online gaming in Nevada, there seems to be a significant surge of support for it. Wynn, MGM Resorts, and Caesars are already offering online gaming with mobile account registration, except in the states where their headquarters are located.

The ongoing expansion of DraftKings in Las Vegas will further bolster changes to online gaming and sports betting registration requirements. If and when the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) updates these requirements, Las Vegas could witness a surge of new sportsbook operators, including DraftKings.