On Monday, DraftKings announced that it will open its first Sports & Social venue this fall at the Somerset Collection in the metropolitan Detroit area.
The partnership, which seeks to “create a unique food, beverage, and entertainment experience,” was first announced in July 2021. Live! Hospitality & Entertainment, which operates Sports & Social, is a market leader in fine dining and entertainment, while DraftKings continues to be one of the nation’s leaders in sports wagering.
“We are thrilled to debut the first-ever Sports & Social DraftKings and offer customers in Michigan our innovative mobile sportsbook app with an exciting in-person experience,” DraftKings executive Michael Kibort said in a statement. “Thanks to the strong support of Live! Hospitality & Entertainment, we believe we have created a premier dining, sports and entertainment destination for fans to enjoy.”
DraftKings began accepting wagers in Michigan in January 2021 as part of a mass launch among multiple mobile sports wagering and internet casino gaming operators in the state. It is tethered to Bay Mills Resort and Casino in the Upper Peninsula, approximately five hours from Detroit. Its nearly $1.6 billion in all-time mobile handle ranks behind only FanDuel in the state.
Plenty of amenities to be had
The space, located in Troy, has more than 10,000 square feet and is in a stand-alone building adjacent to Somerset Collection South. There, Sports & Social will showcase a 32-foot LED media wall for game day parties and allow bettors to watch multiple games while placing mobile wagers. It will also be made available for private parties.
There will be an outdoor patio area that will be dog-friendly and host live entertainment several days a week. A social area for foosball, shufflepuck, skeeball, and other arcade games will also be developed.
For food and beverages, Sports & Social will bring its signature “Crush” selection of specialty drinks to the venue, along with curated cocktails and a mix of national beers and those from local breweries. Brunch service will be available Saturday and Sunday.
“DraftKings is an industry leader in sports and entertainment, and we are incredibly excited to be working with them on this new collaboration for Sports & Social,” stated Reed Cordish, principal of The Cordish Companies and CEO of Live! Hospitality & Entertainment. “We are creating a new standard for dining and sports entertainment with Sports & Social DraftKings that is unmatched.”
Caesars gets the jump in Royal Oak
As DraftKings gets ready to open Sports & Social in the fall, Caesars officially opened its first sportsbook lounge in Michigan this past Friday.
Reconfiguring theater room 10 at Emagine Royal Oak just north of Detroit, the Caesars Sportsbook Lounge Powered by Emagine combines a sports lounge and movie theater setting with a cinema-quality sound system for fans to watch multiple sports while placing mobile bets.
The space has also been equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi for bettors to partake in either sports wagering or iGaming and a dedicated display board for betting odds. It also has seat-side service for food and drink and can be rented out for private parties.
Photo: Shutterstock
