ROYAL OAK, Mich. — Emagine is getting the popcorn ready for a new experience at the movies.
The Michigan-based company is opening a Vegas-style sports lounge inside Royal Oak Emagine.
There is a theater dedicated to watching and gambling on live sports. The screen is two stories high and 40 feet wide, and is capable of showcasing multiple live sporting events at once.
Admission is free to sports fans on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Emagine Sports Lounge opens in Royal Oak on December 30, just in time for the Peach Bowl featuring Michigan State.
"It's been two years of COVID pain for us at Emagine," Anthony LaVerde, Emagine Entertainment CEO told WXYZ. "This initiative was actually thought about pre-COVID. It's nice to see it come to fruition, and give people a communal experience without having to get on a plane and fly to Vegas."
Every seat inside the theater has a table for a laptop, and the theater has free, high-speed WiFi for sports gamblers.
"The bet is, people want to have communal experiences again. Emagine is always on the forefront of innovation. We thought this was another use of our world-class facilities," LaVerde said.
