A place to bet on sports is among the enhancement projects that could be coming to Raleigh's PNC Arena.
Of course, the state legislature first must pass now-stalled legislation to approve widespread sports gambling in the state. But as the Centennial Authority, which owns PNC Arena, considered upgrades to the 23-year-old arena and adding a sportsbook or sports lounge is among one of its priorities. PNC Arena is home to the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes and North Carolina State's men's basketball team.
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"It activates part of the building all the time," said Philip Isley, the board's chairman. "That's the big deal. We have activation either on the property itself or within the building to where people are here at six o'clock on a Wednesday night in August when no one is here. That then becomes another part of how we view this building as more of a community asset that is activated all the time versus just on game nights or concerts or other community events."
The board heard an hour-long presentation from Ratio and HOK about the potential amenities that could be added to PNC Arena. Amenities to enhance the fan experience and generate additional revenue from the building. The board voted to authorize contract negotiations with the companies for additional design work this summer. Michael Day, a senior project manager with HOK, showed some of the features that other arenas across the country have added, including sportsbooks in states where more widespread gambling is legal.
"It's a license to print money," Day told the board.
The Hurricanes were strong proponents of the sports gambling legalization bills in the legislature. The status of the bills is uncertain after one was defeated by a single vote in the House. Waddell said he prefers that the sportsbook or sports lounge be connected to the arena to allow year-round access, but also have a way for fans attending a game to get into it from the arena as well.
"We were disappointed, but we're also optimistic that we'll see it in the future," said Hurricanes' general manager Don Wadell, who has been leading the franchise's efforts on the legislation. "It's very important because all the other teams are getting it and so it just puts us behind. We're behind because of ticket prices and sponsorship dollars and all that so it just puts us further behind from a revenue standpoint."
In June 2020, the entire menu of renovations for the arena carried a price of about $225 million. The cost now is expected to be much higher given inflation, supply chain issues, the availability of labor and the scope of the project. Fans have different expectations of the in-arena experience than they did in 1999 or, even, 2014.
"It's going to be a big number," Isley said. "What I ultimately would love to see is an a la carte menu. OK, this is going to cost this. What are your options? What do you get more bang for the buck for? Where are their funding opportunities that we don't have to pay for? ... It's going to be a bigger number than what we have seen before, but I'm nervous to guess or speculate or even say it out loud for fear that everyone's going to freak. But I know it's going to be big."
This project is limited to the arena itself. The board is also working on a project that involves the land outside the arena and neighboring Carter-Finley Stadium. The board will get a report on that potential project in October.