The opening follows a strategic partnership announced in June between BetMGM and its local partners, Paulson Puerto Rico and Distrito T-Mobile.
BetMGM inaugurated its new sportsbook betting lounge in Distrito T-Mobile’s Arena Medalla, a new wager on Puerto Rico’s growing sports betting industry as the island continues to strengthen its tourism and entertaiment offering. The renovated space features bigger and more monitors that will allow visitors to watch several sporting events simultaneously, as well as a designated area for regulated sports betting where visitors can place their wagers after completing an in-person registration process with trained staff.
“This is Vegas. This is a Vegas-style sportsbook with Puerto Rican personality,” said Scot Watergate, BetMGM’s Vice President, at the lounge’s opening ceremony on Tuesday.
According to Watergate, Puerto Rico offers an important opportunity for the sports betting industry, stating the island is one of BetMGM’s most important markets, attributing local fans’ passion as the driving factor behind that success.
The opening comes at a time where sports betting is experincing a significant rise on the island, with the Puerto Rico Gaming Comission, present at the event, reporting in July of last year that sports betting volume reached approximately $313.2 million through May of fiscal year 2024-2025, nearly doubling the $156.8 million reported for the previous fiscal year.
BetMGM is also experiencing increased activity, with Casino del Mar and BetMGM Sportsbook General Manager Sigfrido de Jesus, also present at the ceremony, reporting a 40% year-over-year increase in online wagering volume.
As for Rolando Padua, Co CEO of Paulson Puerto Rico, the inauguration is just the next phase in a long-term strategic partnership that started in March of 2022 with its first sportsbook lounge at the Casino del Mar in La Concha Resort. According to Padua, Paulson has already invested over $3.5 million into making Bet MGM a reality on the island, with their third sportsbook lounge opening in Mayaguez Resort & Casino in 2025 and their fourth in The Yard in Caguas earlier this year.
“For us we’re very proud that BetMGM is leading this effort and that we can finally bring this concept to Distrito T-Mobile. This is going to provide a great opportunity to really increase and grow this industry in Puerto Rico,” he said.
For his part, Federico Stubbe Jr., PRISA Group CEO, said the new sportsbook represents “another addition to Distrito T-Mobile’s expanding entertainment portfolio, designed to attract visitors and encourage longer stays through interactive experiences that combine sports, dining, and technology.”
According to Stubbe, Distrito T-Mobile is receiving over 3.4 million visitors a year, stating that offering world-class experiences while celebrating Puerto Rican sports and culture is at the forefront of the tourism hub’s initiatives moving forward.
