With the American Gaming Association (AGA) reporting $7.5 billion in sportsbook revenue in 2022, an increase of 75% percent compared to 2021, venues across the United States are looking at better ways to incorporate legal sports betting into their entertainment offerings and existing facilities. Thirty-eight states as well as Washington, DC, have moved forward with legalizing some aspect of sports betting, and that number is predicted to rise.
[The Integration Guide to Video Walls]
With sports betting officially becoming legal in Connecticut in September 2021, the XL Center—a multipurpose arena and convention center located in downtown Hartford—unveiled a $5 million sports betting venue last September. One of the largest in the state, the sportsbook is outfitted with a 300-seat restaurant, bar, and betting terminals.
The XL Center is owned by the City of Hartford and is managed by the Capital Region Development Authority and operated by Oak View Group. Its new sportsbook is now the 10th of only 15 that will be allowed by law in the state. Data compiled by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection reports that since October 2021, about $175 million has been gambled in retail sports in the state, amounting to a monthly average of $7.6 million.
Driving Traffic
Housed along the building’s exterior, which previously consisted of nondescript concrete and steel structures that limited access to the street, the new sportsbook is expected to increase downtown foot traffic and attract businesses to the surrounding area. “There has been a lot of excitement for the space itself and having a different kind of bar/restaurant in downtown Hartford,” said Pearson Davis, assistant general manager with the XL Center.
[Executive Q&A: All About the Pixels]
With the Capital Region Development Authority managing the restaurant and the Connecticut Lottery and partners operating sports betting, the new sportsbook serves as a standalone space from the arena, with daily access to the public whether the XL Center has an event or not. Still, the design incorporates a glass wall that gives visitors a glimpse into the arena and, in a way, connects the two spaces.
“During events, the glass wall is open into the arena, so the atmosphere and noise from the games reverberate through the sportsbook and add to the excitement,” Davis explained.
The relaxed surroundings, including beautiful city views and a barreled ceiling in the center of the room, make it a comfortable setting to catch professional, college, and other high-profile sporting events. To create a unique, immersive experience for sports fanatics, the sportsbook knew that incorporating high-end AV technology into the design would allow visitors to view multiple games while accessing vital betting statistics and updates, ensuring they have everything they need to make a winning bet.
Metinteractive, known for its expertise in the development of immersive digital environments and entertainment systems, collaborated with SCI Architects and AV designer Coherent Design to integrate 90 LG FHD Multi-Vision LCD displays, most of which were incorporated into a 131-foot-long video wall managed through a Q-SYS Control engine, along with a C-Scape LED ticker run to keep visitors completely engaged through live scores and updates. The bar also includes a line of LCD screens providing ample viewing opportunities, regardless of location. DirectTV was also integrated into the network, allowing the venue to stream leading sports broadcasts and events.
EAW speakers encompassing the entire sportsbook to help create the feel of an authentic sports bar, and private booths outfitted with personal LCD screens ensure an experience unlike anything they can find at home. Metainteractive also handled all the networking and Wi-Fi needs to ensure information and updates were always quickly available.
A Different Approach
The technology integration was left to the final two months of the eight-month-long construction project, prioritizing larger structural changes before technology integration could begin. But that didn’t worry Jeffrey Mele, Metinteractive CTO.
"There are always idiosyncrasies with sports betting that will challenge your team," said Mele. "It's not always as simple as it seems from the outside. However, it wasn't very challenging for us because we understand what's required in a sports betting operation, having roughly half a dozen other sportsbooks completed in the last three years."
With that in mind, it was imperative to understand how the technology would streamline the process of providing information to the user, including timing logistics for various games. “They have to have it well scripted out for them so that they can make educated decisions on what games to show and when and how to display odds,” Mele explained.
The unique shape of the video wall, which juts out at various angles, provided some dimensional challenges when marrying the multiple components together, including applying custom-built trim to the bottom of the video wall. The trim had to be field-measured due to the unusual angles, and the final dimensions for the video wall were complex to discern until the project was close to completion. "We have full metal fabrication capability, so we're able to do things that system integrators typically don't do," said Mele.
Usually, sportsbooks are enclosed spaces that are dark because of the contrast of the screens, but the XL Center took a very different approach. "This whole venue has windows, giving you a great view of downtown Hartford," Mele observed. "It's a radically different approach, and you would be concerned that the ambient light would negatively affect this. But it doesn't. Here, it works out."
[Real Problems with Fake Products]
The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive since the venue was unveiled to the public on September 18, when guests were able to experience the new sportsbook during a Monday Night Football doubleheader. Building on the initial excitement, Davis said they will look to add additional speakers to the upper-level concourse overlooking the sportsbook. The area offers a fantastic vantage point overlooking the bar with a direct view of the video wall; with the audio upgrade, the space could be sold as a VIP or group space.
