Hartford’s XL Center is a prime candidate for major sports betting venue, providing possible boost for long-debated renovation (Courant)

[Ts5034]

My brother-in-law has a place in Brigantine right near the Elks Lodge that we go to a couple of times a summer. Really nice option and quick Uber drive if you don't want to stay in AC. We would usually go to the drive-on beach. Spent a lot of time at The Cellar, Laguna Grill and Rod n Reel years ago before kids.

Laguna is a nice place to hang out whether its in the afternoon grabbing lunch when youre at the beach, or later on into the night to hang out and have some drinks right on the beach like that. Friends of mine have a timeshare at the big old hotel where Laguna is, and thats how I started going to Brigantine/Atlantic City.

 

[KembaKek]

Worth the read...




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-> The Connecticut Lottery Corp. is zeroing in on downtown Hartford’s XL Center as the spot for a major sports betting venue that has the potential for boosting the long-debated renovation of the aging arena.

But the lottery, which will control the location of 15 sports betting venues in Connecticut under the new sports and online gambling law, said it expects to first look to smaller locations in the Hartford area to offer sports gambling sooner to the betting public. Legislative leaders say the first betting could begin as early as the start of the NFL season on Sept. 9.

Rob Simmelkjaer, chairman of the lottery’s board and former executive at ESPN and NBCSports, said sports betting at the XL Center would be part of a larger venue. Gambling would be combined with dining, bars, and other entertainment options, possibly including esports, video-based gaming in which participants compete against one another, Simmelkjaer said. <-

-> Simmelkjaer said the focus on placing one of the state’s two larger sports betting sites at the XL Center came from the governor. “The governor has made it clear that he is looking to do something big there and wants to find a way to have sports betting help the development of that location, a part of a development progress plan for the XL Center,” Simmelkjaer said. <-

Is this really even likely to happen at this point? I'm starting to lose most hope in the future of XL. In the past 4 years or so, i've seen the "possibility" of a $250 Million renovation in 2017, then a possible private investor purchase, then the possible purchase by the tribes, now this. Nothing has happened yet. Starting to look more to me like we're gonna lose this place eventually.