DraftKings Sportsbook Expands Into Puerto Rico

Dave Schwab Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

DraftKings is the No. 2 legal sportsbook operator in the legal US market in terms of overall share. The Boston-based company now has plans to expand that success into a US territory.

Working with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, DraftKings Puerto Rico has plans to launch in the coming weeks. This ongoing business relationship with the gaming tribe started in Connecticut as the owner and operator of Foxwoods Resort Casino.

DraftKings partnered with Foxwoods to bring both retail and online sports betting to Connecticut in 2021. The newest collaboration will be a retail DraftKings Sportsbook inside Foxwoods El San Juan Casino. The newly renovated casino will become a focal point in Puerto Rico’s capital city for both tourists and residents.

According to a joint press release, the retail book “is expected to open in the coming weeks.” There are still some regulatory matters that need to be worked through, but that sounds more like a formality.

The DraftKings Sportsbook at Foxwoods El San Juan should become an immediate draw for sports bettors in Puerto Rico. Along with two fixed betting windows, the venue will also offer six stand-alone sports betting kiosks. A centralized video wall with multiple TV screens will be used for viewing live sports.

The retail book will also offer bar and dining services as part of its amenities. The overall facility will complement the gaming options offered in the casino.

This will be the second DraftKings retail sportsbook in conjunction with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Along with the retail book at Foxwoods Resort Casino, the two gaming partners also offer an online sportsbook and casino in Connecticut under the auspices of this famous gaming tribe.

Matt Kalish is the President of DraftKings North America. He released the following comments on this partnership’s latest endeavor:

“Since establishing our relationship with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and Foxwoods more than a year ago, we’ve seen immense success, which can be attributed to the collaborative efforts between the organizations and shared vision for providing customers with the very best.”

He went on to add:

“Puerto Rico is known for its rich and vibrant sports culture and we look forward to being able to provide fans with a safe and legal form of sports betting through our retail and online sportsbooks.”

In 2021, the tribe committed more than $137 million to the renovation project in San Juan. The addition of the DraftKings Sportsbook was an integral part of the overall plan. Previously known as the Fairmount El San Juan Hotel, the property was heavily damaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017.

This is the first casino expansion outside of the tribe’s sovereign lands in Connecticut. In November of 2021, there was a soft opening of the Foxwoods El San Juan Casino. The addition of the DraftKings Sportsbook marks the completion of the property’s renovation process.

Written by Dave Schwab, our US Sports Betting Industry Expert.

The featured image for this post was sourced from Getty Images.

Dave Schwab

Dave Schwab has been covering the sports betting industry for the past 12 years as the main focus of his specialty marketing company for online content. This endeavor followed a previous career in the field of sales and marketing in the wholesaling sector.Most of his weekly pieces focus on the rapidly expanding legal US sports betting industry. However, he still does extensive work covering betting angles that can provide a competitive edge to avid players. Dave believes that it is always a challenge to take past results and current form to try and correctly determine a future result. Sports brings out the unpredictability in what should be a fairly predictable outcome based on the stats, facts and recent trends in a particular matchup. More from Dave Schwab