Cubs Open DraftKings Betting Windows At Wrigley Field

It has been a long struggle for sports and sports betting to integrate with many setbacks and false starts. Last week, the betting community got another win when the Cubs announced that they were partnering with DraftKings to open up betting windows at Wrigley Field. “An increasing number of sports fans want to integrate sports betting into their game experience, and we’re excited to be one of the first to engage in developing a retail sportsbook at a professional sports venue,” Crane Kenney, president of business operations for the Cubs, said in a release.

With no fan attendance allowed at fields right now due to the coronavirus pandemic and many more regulatory hoops to jump through, it will still be a while until we see this update installed. Draft Kings already offers in-person and mobile betting in Illinois and has been working hard over the past few years to partner with national teams. “What we’re really excited about is a major metropolitan presence of a destination flagship DraftKings sportsbook,” Matt Kalish, co-founder, and president of DraftKings, told ESPN. “I think it will be potentially one of the biggest sportsbooks in the country, even if all 50 states were open. So we’re really excited to see what that kind of venue can do for DraftKings and the Cubs. It might be the Cubs to win, maybe a few props like first home run, then stroll into the game at 6:45, sit down, sweat my bets and cheer on the Cubs,” Kalish said. “Then, after the game, I can stop back at the DraftKings book, relax with my friends, get some food and drink and think about the next day’s game, maybe put in a few more tickets.”

Major League Baseball still outlaws any player with a stake in the game to place a bet or be affiliated with betting organizations – just ask Pete Rose. But after this development, it would not be surprising to see several more of these betting stations pop up at stadiums once they open back up to fans.