Jan. 23, 2020

A sports book one industry leader calls the nicest between Atlantic City and Las Vegas will open next week at Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort.

The northwest Iowa casino, just east of Sioux Falls, has unveiled the addition and will begin taking wagers there Monday. It’s run by Betfred USA Sports, an expansion of UK-based Betfred Sports, which is the country’s third-largest bookmaker and has been in business for 50 years.

It’s a well-known brand in Europe, sponsoring major sporting events, said Bryan Bennett, chief operating officer of Betfred USA Sports. When the U.S. Supreme Court opened up sports betting to state regulation in 2018, it created opportunities for European companies such as Betfred to come to the U.S.

“Grand Falls is our first foray into the U.S. market,” Bennett said. “It’s a big reason why we built this beautiful book. This is going to double as our showroom. We wanted to enter the market with a big bang and show people what we can do.”

The company set out to create a Las Vegas-quality sports book, he added.

“We wanted it to be a place you could come watch games. Grand Falls brought in food and beverage, so we wanted it to be a full sports bar experience. You’d have to go to Atlantic City or Las Vegas to find one this nice.”

The sports book includes multiple viewing options, from a screen that shows one massive display to multiple individual televisions and a ribbon display that shows scores and schedules.

Bets can be placed at the counter or by an app. Players will need to download the Betfred app, which is different than Elite Sportsbook, which started service at Grand Falls through an app and kiosk last summer.

“We’re going to add all the U.S. and international markets that can be bet on,” Bennett said. “All the major U.S. sports, college sports, PGA, MMA, all will be available here. And it’s more than pregame and waiting for the outcome. It’s all the in-game betting as well. So you can bet on the first quarter, half time lines; eventually, you’ll be able to bet on passing yard. You’ll be able to be very specific.”

Those players who signed up through Elite for sports betting will be able to continue to use the app, and Grand Falls will continue to support it at the casino.

Early response has been positive. Since August, more than $6.1 million in sports wagers have been made through Grand Falls. That’s a combination of wagers placed through the app and those made in the casino, which are considered retail.

“It’s been better than we thought,” Grand Falls general manager Sharon Haselhoff said.

“The way Iowa set it up, you have to be a member of our resort club first and create an online account. So online sales have been solid. The retail is always going to be strong, which is great for all the other amenities we have.”

Racing is treated differently in Iowa and requires a separate license. Betfred doesn’t have one yet but doesn’t rule it out.

“It’s something we’d eventually like to bring to the U.S., but we don’t have any immediate plans to do that,” Bennett said.

The new sports book is set up with a variety of seating, with a tiered design that includes leather recliners, high-top tables and some booth seating. Specific seats can be reserved for a fee and a minimum food and beverage spend.

“There have been a lot of inquiries about reserving tables,” Haselhoff said.

The area is served by wait staff for food and beverages, and has its own menu, which will be run through the Ruthie’s restaurant kitchen.

It includes appetizers such as nachos, fresh-cut fries and chips, onion rings and Stensland cheese curds.

There also are several options for burgers and wings, plus sandwiches such as a hand-battered pork cutlet, hot dogs, brats, pizza and chislic.

“We’re really going all out on the menu to make sure it’s got that fresh feel and taste to it,” Haselhoff said, adding hours will be set after the first few weeks.

“Definitely every weekend lunch to late night, and the midweek business we’ll play by ear to see what makes the most sense and tweak the hours when you have high-profile games like March Madness.”

A grand opening is scheduled for Jan. 30 and will include a 4:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting through the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, followed by a tasting menu from the sports book.

A Feb. 2 Superbowl party will include giveaways – highlighted by Final Four tickets – and food and drink specials. Reservations already are being requested for specific tables.

“We anticipate it being full in here,” Bennett said.

The sports book takes the place of the former show lounge, which has been moved to near the bar in the center of the casino.

“We still wanted that experience with entertainment and music because it adds ambiance to the floor, but we were able to modify the floor and still have that experience for our guests,” Haselhoff said.

Building isn’t done at Grand Falls, though. Construction continues on a 66-room hotel addition and skywalk scheduled to open for Memorial Day weekend.

The skywalk will include a display board visible from the outdoor pool area, where visitors can watch sporting events and tie into the sports book.

The terrace levels of the hotel addition will walk out to the pool, where new events such as outdoor music and “Sipping Sundays” are planned for the summer.

“And we’re going to add some additional amenities to the cabanas to create that VIP experience,” Haselhoff said. “Adding TV, adding more comfy furniture to create that atmosphere that it’s a nice getaway outside. We’re taking it to that next level.”