DraftKings to open new office in southwest Las Vegas

DraftKings, the Boston-based online sports betting giant, is expanding its Las Vegas footprint with plans to open a new office in the valley that includes its own casino pit, a high-tech putting green and more.

DraftKings’ new office will open in early 2022 at UnCommons in southwest Las Vegas, and the company expects to eventually employ more than 1,000 workers at the location. The Las Vegas office will be the company’s second-largest in the U.S. and will closely model its Boston headquarters.

Plans for the 90,000-square-foot space include a custom casino training pit, an interactive putt-view putting green and other amenities such as on-site manicures, pedicures and haircuts.

“Our new office space and Las Vegas expansion further exemplifies DraftKings’ investment in its employees and the future of the company, as well as the local community,” Matt Kalish, co-founder and president of DraftKings North America, said in a statement. “Our goal is to create another world-class workplace environment that will foster DraftKings’ innovation, further bolster our local presence, and deepen community involvement. With these lofty aspirations, we were thrilled to discover that UnCommons mirrors these high standards.”

The $400-million, 40-acre UnCommons, under construction near the 215 Beltway and Durango Drive, is projected to have more than 500,000 square feet of office space and more than 800 residential units.

Jim Stuart, partner at UnCommons developer Matter Real Estate Group, said DraftKings’ vision for the office shows what the future of workplaces will look like in a post-pandemic world, places that are “highly focused on amenities, employee engagement and a reason, if not a desire, to show back up to the office.”

“DraftKings is in a very competitive industry right now, and I think their focus on the employee experience not only represents the refined culture that they have recreated but probably goes a long way for winning the war for talent,” Stuart said.

DraftKings was founded in 2012 and made its mark as one of the biggest forces in daily fantasy sports. The company opened its first office in Las Vegas in January 2020 and has quickly moved to expand its presence in town.

The company signed a multiyear agreement to be a primary sponsor of UNLV’s Center for Gaming Innovation inside the university’s International Gaming Institute, a deal that included the opening of a Draftkings Gaming Innovation Studio on campus.

In March, the company reached an agreement to buy VSiN, a sports betting broadcasting company based in Las Vegas and headed by longtime broadcaster Brent Musburger.

Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.