LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana — What is now the largest retail sportsbook in Louisiana officially opened for business Thursday.
The DraftKings Sportsbook at Golden Nugget Lake Charles opened just in time for the start of college football season. The new permanent location will replace the previous temporary one.
Just minutes after opening, casino representatives saw the crowds start to roll in.
"We opened our doors to the public about 15 minutes ago, and we've seen that the place is already filling up,” Greg Hennagin, Golden Nugget general manager, said.
The first two players to ever walk into the new sportsbooks and place their bets are Houston natives, Cason Sicking and Josef Klam.
"There's going to be so many folks that walk through the doors over the years, and we're the first ones,” Klam said. “We can tell our grandchildren this."
For the two Houston natives, being the first to ever walk into the room is a big deal. The room itself is a big deal for Pete Vender, the project manager.
"We went to Las Vegas to get an idea of what other sportsbooks looked like,” Vender said. “We took that, and we came back, and we came up with this."
In Vender’s opinion, the new Louisiana sportsbook is much better than the ones in Vegas. The sportsbook's first gamblers agree.
"This sportsbook, you walk into it, feels like Vegas," Sicking said. “This is about as close to Vegas as you can get, I think, without going to Vegas."
Most of the players who showed up to Thursday's opening were from Texas, mostly out of the Beaumont and Houston area.
“They told us they need it in Texas,” Hennigan said. “Now, they want it in Texas. The Texas crowd is very important to us and we love to cater to that crowd."
Texans are happy to oblige.
“Louisiana and Texas have always had a great relationship, but especially being so close to Houston. I mean this is this can be our backyard,” Klam said. “Yeah, until such a time that it's legal in Texas."
The room has been under construction since December. Sports betting was legalized in Louisiana in November 2020.
The sportsbook will be open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to midnight on weekends.