Caesars Superdome (home of the New Orleans Saints) is one of the oldest stadiums in the National Football League. 

But that hasn’t stopped the iconic 50-year-old venue from hosting prestigious events like Super Bowl LIX (the 59th) on February 9, 2025, between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. 

In order to land the big event — and stay relevant — compared to newer, more high-tech stadiums, Caesars Superdome underwent a 5-year, $560 million transformation. The goal? Modernize the fan experience — with a little help from technology.

The Superdome transformation remodeled atriums, bars, and premium spaces. It removed the stadium’s original ramp system from 1975 and included investments to create a more inclusive fan experience, taking steps to improve ADA seating options, including even premium ADA seating decks. They also added new banks of elevators too.

In addition to construction updates, Caesars Superdome completed technology upgrades across several areas of service, installing a $600,000 point-of-sale (POS) system (BizNewOrleans.com), improved WiFi and cellular access, and nearly a thousand new flat screens and digital signs.

Today we’ll examine how this technology enables a fan-focused experience.

Caesars Superdome’s multi-million-dollar transformation fully embraced the idea that modern problems require modern solutions. From educating fans on the new layout to feeding the hungry masses, the stadium established a system of interconnected software and devices to give fans more freedom and control over their game day experience.

Saints Mobile App

Caesars Superdome’s fan-centered experience starts before attendees ever arrive at the stadium. The Saints mobile app gives fans access to a host of live coverage and stats as well as options to easily manage tickets to upcoming games. 

To get ahead of construction updates and avoid confusion related to the new stadium layout, the app introduced a “Personal Game Plan” feature. The feature personalizes the experience for fans. For example, it tells fans which entrance gate to enter as well as the most direct route to their seat — even directing fans to the right stadium exit after the game. This information helps fans avoid game day confusion, which should improve foot traffic routing for everyone.

Upgraded WiFi and Cellular Service via a “Distributed Antenna System”

Of course a mobile app is only useful if fans have Internet access on their phones.

Thankfully, Super Bowl LIX attendees should have no problem accessing their personal game plan in the Saints mobile app thanks to the Caesars Superdome’s new Distributed Antenna System (DAS). (A DAS is a network of antennas that improves wireless signal strength and coverage in a building or area.) The DAS at the Superdome is designed to support best-in-class speeds for attendees. 

Saints President Dennis Lauscha emphasized the importance of strengthening connectivity:

“Wireless and cellular accessibility has become essential to the gameday experience in NFL stadiums. In enhancing their gameday experience, fans not only use their smartphones to make and receive phone calls and send and receive emails and text messages, but to view the New Orleans Saints mobile app … use mobile ticketing, check scores and live statistics, view replays, receive updates on their fantasy teams and make contactless purchases of food, drink and merchandise.”

The Superdome DAS is made up of 32 large antennas, 200 cellular antennas designed for high-density environments, and over 2500 new wireless access points. The DAS had to be built so as to account for what’s expected to be record-breaking WiFi data usage at Superbowl LIX, as the record has been broken every year since the data was first tracked. In fact, 2024’s Superbowl had 115+X the amount of WiFi traffic as 2012:

A Point-of-Sale (POS) System Built for Cashless Payments

Caesars Superdome’s connectivity upgrades support their new POS-enabled cashless stadium. Yes, no cash will be allowed in the facility. In addition to stationary stores and concession stands, the cashless initiative requires every in-seat vendor to carry handheld credit card reader technology. 

Clover Sport provided over 1,000 new devices to support digital, contactless, and self-service purchasing in the stadium. The POS system and devices are integrated across platforms, making mobile ordering, fan loyalty programs, and stored-value payment options possible. The system accepts all major credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Android Pay, and contactless EMV (EMV stands for Europay, Mastercard, and Visa) using NFC (Near-Field Communication).

Grab-and-Go Food Options

Caesar Superdome’s cashless infrastructure supports payments at 18 Market Pantry outlets. These grab-and-go food markets are just one element of a host of concession enhancements designed to increase the variety of food and drink available to patrons and the speed of delivery, so fans don’t miss out on the game to wait in line. 

Grab-and-go stations have been launched at many stadiums, including the Superdome. Like other installations, they default to asking for tips at the end of the transaction — a fact that had some fans “impressed with the audacity” of being asked to tip their nonexistent cashier (Reddit).

How the Superdome plans to capture fan feedback — positive or negative — is yet to be seen.

800+ Flat Screen TVs and Digital Signage

When fans leave their seats during the game, i.e. to eat, drink, shop, or use the restroom, they won’t have to worry about missing any big plays — not at the Superdome.

Caesar Superdome added more than 800 new flat-screen TVs in high traffic areas so fans can keep up with the action when they’re away from the field. The new TVs more than double the amount of televisions in renovated areas.

Outside of TVs, the stadium also uses a variety of digital signage options to keep fans informed and promote products and experiences of interest to event attendees. 

OPENGATE Hassle-Free Security System

Fan safety is one of the most important game day considerations. Caesars Superdome chose the OPENGATE detection system, a walk-through screening process that doesn’t trigger for common items like belts, keys, coins, and watches. The system makes the necessary screening process easier and faster for fans and helps the stadium avoid bottlenecks at entrance checkpoints.

Connected Products Highlight the Game Day Experience

From TVs to handheld credit card readers to automatic security screening systems, connected products improve fan experience and operational efficiency in stadiums. 

So how do stadiums confidently manage and introduce new digital tools and devices? 

For Caesars Superdome, improving WiFi connectivity was the foundation to a successful connected products strategy.

Given that network connectivity is one of the top causes of downtime, improved WiFi makes sense for the connected products of the Superdome and fans alike.

But the number one cause of downtime is misconfigured devices. Even with connectivity in place and devices purchased, the system needs to operate cohesively and integrate seamlessly to create the ultimate fan experience for Super Bowl LIX. 

While Caesars Superdome did not disclose how it manages the massive system of connected devices, there is assuredly a technical support team ready to step in should anything go wrong. And if not, well they might want to look into a platform for monitoring and managing all their connected products — a platform like Canopy.