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April 19, 2022

Betting lounge planned for XL Center faces hurdles

Contributed A new rendering of the sportsbook planned at the XL Center. It would be located off Ann Uccello Street.
By Michael Puffer

The Capital Region Development Authority is moving forward with plans to add a new lounge and restaurant to downtown Hartford’s XL Center, with hopes of opening it with sports betting in time for the fall football season.

However, there are a few formidable hurdles to clear first. 

CRDA Executive Director Michael Freimuth says his team has worked out details of a critical agreement to split betting proceeds with the CT Lottery Corp. But state legislators may need to act to be certain the Lottery has authority to share funds, rather than sending all net proceeds to the state’s general fund, he said.

Freimuth said the CRDA plans to move forward with improvements to the XL Center’s concourse and build a lounge as part of long-range plans for improvements to gathering areas at the center. But without sports betting, that new restaurant would only open on event nights, rather than maintaining regular weekly hours, he said. There wouldn’t be the foot traffic to justify it.

The next big obstacle is the global supply chain. CRDA staff told members of their Venue Committee Monday that materials needed to complete the lounge could be delayed by several months due to supply chain problems. That includes glass panes needed for the exterior wall of a section of the new lounge on the Ann Uccello Street side of the center, as well as screens needed for an audio-visual wall for sports betting.

The addition of the lounge is part of a $20 million package of building upgrades planned to shortly launch at the stadium.
 

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