The Royal Oak Emagine Theater will partner with Caesars Entertainment to create what is believed will be the first sportsbook-partnered sports viewing lounge inside a cinema complex in the United States.
Currently, Emagine operates a sports lounge in its location, showing multiple live sporting events on giant screens for patrons in what was formerly a movie theater. That setup was launched in December.
Visitors to the new venue, which will be titled Caesars Sportsbook Lounge Powered by Emagine, will be able to purchase alcoholic drinks and sports bar-style food, as well as place bets on sporting events through the Caesars sportsbook app using their own registered accounts.
There appear to be no plans to add a retail sportsbook at the location as of yet.
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Exploring The New Caesars Sports Lounge
The venue, which is hosted inside an active complex that still offers first-run movies in their other theaters, features a 40-foot wide screen, comfortable reclining-style, heated seating, wait staff service, hi-speed internet service, and a Vegas-style sports lounge experience. Odds for countless sporting events are shown on the large movie screen and on monitors throughout the lounge.
Caesars Digital will rebrand and upgrade the space, which is located on North Main Street in Detroit suburb Royal Oak. This is the first of what may be many unique theater-style sports viewing lounges for the industry giant as it seeks to extend its presence in states with legal sports betting markets.
“[We] applaud [the] ingenuity in creating a Sports Lounge in a movie theater,” said Eric Hession, Caesars Digital co-president in a press statement announcing the partnership. “This concept should provide an exciting environment for people to enjoy a televised sporting event and for us to connect with new customers while also rewarding our existing loyal customer base.”
Anthony LaVerde, chief operating officer of Emagine Entertainment, welcomed Caesars’ involvement.
“Partnering with Caesars is a major milestone in our ongoing commitment to being the most innovative theater chain in the country,” he said.
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Michigan Sports Betting History
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, with bipartisan support, signed sports betting into law in 2019. Michigan launched sports betting in January 2021, and it quickly became one of the most successful debuts of any market in the country.
Now, more than a year later, Michigan is one of a handful of states to surpass $5 billion in total wagers placed on sports. In March 2021, sportsbook operators handled $383.6 million in wagers, coming on the heels of January when Michigan set a state record with $496.8 million in total handle.
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