Dave & Buster’s Holding Sports Betting Talks, Says CEO

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY), the eating place manipulator known for its wide-cut selection of in-store games, is mulling sports betting and is holding talks to that effect.

Chairman and lag CEO Kevin Sheehan made comments along those lines on the company’s third-quarter earnings conference call off before this week.

I think there’s a cluster of answers inward that inquiry because you need to make believe sure that we evolve the right hand relationship, and we’re talking to a pair of prominent players inward that field,” he said. “And when we capture that deal done, you require to pass water trusted there’s a deep partnership because we put up both benefit past having a deep relationship.”

That was in response to a call into question from an analyst regarding how rapidly the eating house operator could acquire into sports wagering if it decides to move down pat(p) that road.

Sheehan didn’t place the companies with which Dave & Buster’s is discussing a sports wagering partnership.

The Texas-based steady operates in 140 arcade restaurants inward Frederick North America spanning 40 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Sports Betting Makes Sense for Dave & Buster’s

Dave & Buster’s restaurants are perfunctory and the fellowship often tries to enticement sports fans with extended offerings of televisions to look out games and debar and grillwork fare.

It’s a methodology that’s worked for other eating house chains inwards terms of sports wagering partnerships. For example, Buffalo Wild Wings has an accord with BetMGM, while Hooters inked an grant with Benjamin Rush Street Interactive endure twelvemonth to lure bettors to its restaurants inwards Indiana, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

“We’re workings real hard inward getting to an understanding on sports betting and phantasy sports. And to me, there’s a great chance there, firstly because of the political economy that go away on with that agreement,” said Sheehan on the group discussion call.

Sheehan has gaming industry experience. He united Scientific Games (NASDAQ:SGMS) inward August 2016 as chairwoman and chief executive officer — roles he held for nearly 2 years.

Likely a State-by-State Matter

How sports wagering takes mold at Dave & Buster’s is potential to furuncle land to a compounding of states it has stores inward that also countenance regulated sports betting.

Looking at the company’s location roster, it has a combined 30 restaurants in Golden State and Lone-Star State — states that are nowhere faithful to allowing online betting. That doesn’t include locations inwards FL and New York, where there’s considerable hand-wringing over how nomadic betting will be deployed.

In its favor, Dave & Buster’s has stores inwards sports betting hubs, such as Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, as advantageously as parvenu states, including Arizona, Colorado, and Tennessee, among others.