DraftKings Opens Retail Sportsbook at Wrigley Field

The sound of cleats in the dugouts at Chicago's historic Wrigley Field signals that the start of the 2024 MLB regular season has arrived. As the home of the National League's Chicago Cubs, the stadium will soon be filled with hope that the Cubs might just make it to the World Series for the first time since 2016 and only the second time since 1945.

When the turnstiles start turning on opening day, May 28, fans will notice something a little different. What they will notice is that DraftKings Sportsbook has activated its sports betting windows and kiosks. While the DK Sportsbook Wrigleyville has technically been open since June 2023, they only operated as a bar and restaurant. It wasn't until March 15 that the sports betting operator was permitted to start accepting retail sports wagers.

According to Michael Kibort, DraftKings Vice President of Product Operations, in a press release:

“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.”

To commemorate the grand opening, the first wager was placed by former Chicago Bears lineman Kyle Long. The wager? Of course, he wagered $100 on the Cubbies to win the World Series.

About the DraftKings Sportsbook at Wrigley Field

Chicago sports fans and bettors have high expectations. One look at the DraftKings state-of-the-art retail sportsbook at Wrigley Field should adequately meet such expectations.

The facility measures 17,000 sq. ft. with adequate seating for 300 patrons. Bettors can place their sports wagers at 1 of 7 betting windows or through 1 of 32 betting kiosks. After placing their bets, they can settle in to watch their games of choice on a 2,000 sq. ft. big-screen that can telecast up to 25 sports events simultaneously.

When their tummies start grumbling for food, patrons can visit the food bar presented by Levy. The menu includes:

• Hot and cold sandwiches


• Burgers


• Brick over pizzas


• Salads


• Nachos with favorite toppings

It's noteworthy that DraftKings and the Chicago Cubs have created an environment that features everything a Chicago sports bettor could want from a sportsbook.

The Expectations

DraftKings has been a leader in the U.S. sports betting community since 2019. In five years, the company has come to understand that retail sportsbooks in professional sports venues will do very little to impact the company's bottom line. However, they also understand the value of the brand recognition they will get as 20k-30k Cubs fans pour into Wrigley Field each day over 82 home games. That's exposure to approximately 2,000,000 baseball fans over a season.

The end game at DraftKings is to snag more customers in the company's battle with Fanduel as the top sports betting operator in Illinois. To date, the gap between these two behemoths is small with Fanduel leading the way. DraftKings is banking on Cubs fans to turn the tables and make the operator the biggest and best in the state.