Sports fans 21 and older looking for more than just team pride can bet on their favorite sports at Wind Creek Bethlehem.
Wind Creek Hospitality and Betfred USA Sports opened Pennsylvania's newest sportsbook Wednesday in a renovated space inside a Bethlehem casino that was once Buddy V's Ristorante.
The initiative is the first for Wind Creek in the U.S. and the third for Betfred Sports, in addition to sportsbooks at Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort in Larchwood, Iowa, and Saratoga Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado.
This comes as Wind Creek continues to recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The casino laid off about 20% of its employees in September. According to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, October's total revenue was $33.1 million, a 16.41% decrease from October 2019's total revenue of $39.6 million.
The sportsbook is the culmination of a deal signed in January, before the first coronavirus case in the United States.
According to Wind Creek, the facility will feature two state-of-the-art video walls, 31 individual televisions, three betting windows and eight self-service wagers, in addition to a sports pub with multiple viewing areas and food and beverage options. A kiosk is said to be available.
“Opening a sportsbook at Wind Creek Bethlehem provides another exciting gaming opportunity for our guests,” Jay Doris, president and CEO of Wind Creek Hospitality, said in a statement. “Partnering with Betfred USA Sports allows us to bring a first-class sports betting experience to our facilities in a high-energy environment.”
The sportsbook opened Wednesday afternoon after a soft launch test Monday night and all day Tuesday, said Julia Corwin, a spokeswoman for Wind Creek Bethlehem.
Lehigh Valley is also home to Lehigh Valley's former Downs at Lehigh Valley race and sportsbook, Mohegan Sun Pocono, and Lehigh Valley's Unibet Sportsbook in Hanover Township, Lehigh County. In Monroe County, the Mount Airy Casino Resort Sportsbook opened a year before his.
Sports betting casino revenue totaled about $36.8 million last month, up 146% from about $15 million in October 2019, according to state statistics.
Wind Creek and Betfred USA Sports are planning a grand opening for invited guests on Saturday. Following the opening, an online sportsbook powered by Betfred Sports will be launched on Wind Creek Casino's mobile application in the coming weeks, according to Wind Creek Hospitality.
Las Vegas-based Betfred USA Sports is a subsidiary of Betfred Group, a bookmaker based in Warrington, UK.
Brian Bennett, Chief Operating Officer of Betfred USA Sports, said: “We are very excited about our partnership with Wind Creek Hospitality and couldn’t be happier with the launch of our third U.S.-based sportsbook in the past year. Pennsylvania is a large sports betting market. We look forward to making Wind Creek Bethlehem the go-to destination for sports bettors.”
Wind Creek Hospitality, part of the Alabama-based Poarch Band of Creek Indians, acquired the Bethlehem casino from Las Vegas Sands Corporation in June 2019 for $1.4 billion, and in 2019 The grand opening was celebrated on October 10th.
The company manages the tribe's gaming properties in Alabama, including Wind Creek Atmore, Wind Creek Wetumpka, and Wind Creek Montgomery. Wind Creek Bethlehem; Wa She Shu Casino in Nevada; Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino; Renaissance Curacao Resort & Casino; WindCreekCasino.com; and horse racing tracks in Alabama and Florida.
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Kurt Bresswein can be contacted at: kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
