NH’s first retail sportsbook facility is open and ready for wagers
SEABROOK — The DraftKings SportsBook at The Brook became the first sports betting retail location in the New Hampshire last month, and it saw the first action of the NFL on Thursday when the league began its 101st season.
Andre Carrier, the president and chief operating officer of Eureka Casinos, said The Brook had a “pretty good crowd” Thursday and he is anxious for another 13 NFL games on Sunday.
“We’re pretty excited,” Carrier said. “We’re certainly hopeful that Sunday brings some more people and some new eyeballs to a pretty unique way of experiencing the game. Hopefully we can provide a safe place where people can come together and enjoy (the games) with the same spirit and energy they have.”
Nevada-based Eureka Casino Resorts purchased Seabrook Park in 2019, and has done a multi-million-dollar renovation over the last year.
The Brook offers stadium seating with couches and recliners, plus three oversized cinema screens, as well as hundreds of individual TVs.
“I can assure you that what we built at The Brook is bigger and better than most anything that exists in Las Vegas,” said Currier, who ran the Golden Nugget in Laughlin, Nev., and Las Vegas for more than a decade. “The Brook is not a small sportsbook experience. It is much bigger than what I had at the Golden Nugget, by 10 times.”
Carrier said The Brook is bigger than the majority of the sportsbooks that are in Las Vegas.
“This is really a top-flight sportsbook environment,” Carrier said. “And if you haven't seen it and you cannot believe it, there is one way to prove me wrong and that is to come down and see it yourself.”
Chris Robichaud, the sportsbook manager at The Brook, said Thursday’s crowd for the Kansas City and Houston game was “young and lively.”
“There has been a lot of action in the NHL and NBA playoffs, but football, especially in New England, is really big,” Robichaud said. “I think we’re going to have a really big crowd (Sunday). We’re looking forward to it.”
Carrier said there are benefits for New Hampshire residents to wager at The Brook instead of staying at home and placing their bets through the DraftKings app.
“As nice as your TV is in your living room, and I am sure some people have some real nice ones, it is a really unique environment to be immersed into many games at the same time,” Carrier said. “It is also kind of fun, as much as you love to hear your brother in law yelling in the living room with you, to hear everyone respond when you’ll bet the over and the Chiefs are lining up for a field goal in the final seconds.”
Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill into law in June 2019, legalizing and regulating sports betting in New Hampshire. It is still not legal to wager on sports in Massachussetts and Maine. The Brook is located right over the Massachusetts border, and is less than 20 miles from Maine.
“We’re getting plenty of visits from Massachusetts and we’re thankful for every one of them and plenty of people are coming down from Maine, and we are thankful for every one of those,” Carrier said. “And we have our core customers in New Hampshire. It’s a fortuitous position to be in right now. I think New Hampshire complements the great work that the lottery did and the legislature did to craft a bill that frankly, at this point, those dollars are needed. The budget shortfall will be significant as a result of the COVID crisis, so this is new revenue for the state. It’s timely as well. Massachusetts and Maine will do what they do, but we’re thankful to have this moment in time to introduce people to The Brook.”
The DraftKings SportsBook opens at 11 a.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and 11:30 on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. It is closed on Tuesday.
“The truth is, I think the whole (sports wagering experience) is better here at The Brook,” Carrier said. “I want (people to come here) because we compete better, we built better and we operate better.”
The South Side Tavern in Manchester became New Hampshire’s second DraftKings sportsbook location on Sept. 3.
The New Hampshire Lottery and DraftKings launched mobile sports betting in the state in December. Since December, total sports betting in New Hampshire has exceeded $65 million.
