Fanatics Betting & Gaming has opened its first retail sportsbook at Progressive Field, the home of the Cleveland Guardians – the team it has partnered with on this venture.
The sportsbook will be located at the corner of Larry Doby Way and East 9th Street, with circa 600 square feet of space and features such as two betting windows, four self-service betting kiosks and seven TV monitors, this debut retail sportsbook for Fanatics marks the company’s full sports betting launch in the US, after it went live online last week.
Paul Shuey, the former Cleveland Guardian’s pitcher, was the first person to place a bet – in which he wagered $20 on the University of North Carolina to win its game against the University of South Carolina.
Ari Borod, CBO at Fanatics Betting and Gaming, commented: “This is Fanatics Betting & Gaming’s first retail sportsbook at a Major League Ballpark.
“We designed this location to complement our online sports betting app and usher in a brand-new sports betting experience with the most rewarding online sportsbook in Ohio, allowing customers to earn up to 5% back in FanCash on every bet.”
Now that Fanatics has entered the US sports betting market, many are wondering if the merchandising giant can compete with FanDuel and DraftKings, the two biggest sports betting operators across the US.
However, Fanatics’ $225m purchase of PointsBet’s US operations was a sign that it was ready to splash the cash to muscle in on the highly competitive market.
In further news, Caesars has announced that it will no longer be pursuing a deal to open a retail sportsbook at Raynham Park – the decision has come as a shock, as regulators were in the middle of reviewing the track’s bid for a sports betting licence.
Raynham Park is the home of Greyhound Racing in Massachusetts and Caesars’ call to pull out of its agreement with the Massasoit Greyhound Association may have come after significant pressure in recent years to stop greyhound racing altogether.
The news also comes after bet365 dropped its own bid to run mobile sports betting through Raynham Park, a telling sign of potential issues with the location.
