Last week a brand new take on the classic sportsbook experience opened at the Emagine Royal Oak theatre in Detroit in the form of a Caesars Sportsbook Lounge.
The movie theatre turned sportsbook lounge is the first for Caesars and Emagine. Emagine is currently the ninth largest movie theatre chain in North America (according to data from The Boxoffice Pro). The company specializes in luxury movie theatres and has 28 locations with over 340 screens across Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
The partnership between Caesars and Emagine came back in April when the duo announced plans for creating the first Caesars branded sportsbook lounge within a movie theatre. Under the collaboration, the Emagine Sports Lounge is being rebranded as the Caesars Sportsbook Lounge Powered by Emagine.
“We are excited about this partnership with Emagine Entertainment and applaud their ingenuity in creating a Sports Lounge in a movie theatre,” said Eric Hession, Co-President of Caesars Digital. “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.”
The new lounge features heated leather recliners, individual tables, massive screens for sporting events, a cinema sound system, and seat-side food and beverage service. The lounge won’t have actual betting windows, unfortunately, as online betting will be the only form of wagering in the theatres. The lounge does have free high-speed wifi and has dedicated displays showcasing a vareity of betting odds for Caesars Sportsbook.
CEO of Emagine Entertainment commented on the partnership stating, “Our commitment to building innovative entertainment experiences for our guests led us to the creation of the sports lounge at Emagine Royal Oak. Partnering with Caesars is a major milestone in our ongoing commitment to being the most innovative theater chain in the country.”
Admission to the lounge is free and available whenever the Emagine Royal Oak theatre is open. Anyone over 21 can access the lounge and can place wagers using their mobile device or laptop. Players aren’t limited to betting on Caesars Sportsbook or even sports in general. Online casino gaming is allowed in the lounge as well.
Rouge Partnership Strategies, based in Southeast Michigan, assisted with the agreement between the two companies. Rouge co-founder, Zach Wagner also commented on the partnership, stating, “This partnership is transformative for two industries: Movie Theatres and Mobile Sports Betting.” Wagner continued, “The vision of Emagine Entertainment to create such a unique and authentic sportsbook style experience for their loyal patrons is 100% on-brand with their industry leadership over the past 25 years. It is no surprise that another industry leader, Caesars Sportsbook, recognized and joined in this opportunity to connect with sports betting fans in their preferred viewing environment.”
If the lounge proves successful, Caesars and Emagine have plans to expand the idea to other theatres owned by Emagine. And it couldn’t come any sooner. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a quarter of all movie theatres in the United States have closed permanently or have remained closed since March 2020. Box office numbers are down 32.4% in the first half of 2022 as compared to 2019. If the new Caesars sportsbook lounge is successful, we should see Emagine expanding to other locations this fall.
The Caesars Sportsbook Lounge Powered by Emagine is located at 200 North Main Street, Royal Oak, MI 48067.
Mac Daniel is a South Carolina-based freelance writer for PlayOnlineCasino and PlayOnlineSportsBetting. He has experience writing about a wide variety of topics, including healthcare, tourism, non-profit organizations, and most recently casino and sportsbetting news. To check out more of his work, visit www.playonlinecasinomi.com or www.playonlinesportsbetting.com