Featured image credit: Fanatics
Fanatics Betting and Gaming, the online and retail sports division of digital sports platform Fanatics, has opened a retail sportsbook location at Progressive Field, home of Major League Baseball team the Cleveland Guardians.
The space, which opened on Friday, marks the first retail sportsbook for the company at an MLB ballpark. The facility is located outside the Right Field District Gate at the corner of Larry Doby Way and East 9th Street.
The sportsbook spans nearly 600 square feet and features two betting windows, four self-service betting kiosks and seven TV monitors. It will offer legal betting markets for all major sports, with all markets to be developed and traded in-house at Fanatics Betting and Gaming with the support of a number of trading suppliers.
The ceremonial first bet at the sportsbook was placed by Paul Shuey, a former pitcher for the Guardians. Shuey placed a $20 (£16/€18) bet on the University of North Carolina’s American football team to beat the University of South Carolina on September 2.
Fans wishing to place a bet at the sportsbook will not require a Guardians match ticket. The space will be open on weekdays from 2pm to 8pm and weekends from 11am to 9pm. On game days, the sportsbook will open two hours prior to the first pitch and stay open throughout the conclusion of the game.
The Fanatics Sportsbook app is available for download on iOS and Android devices in the state of Ohio. The opening of the Progressive Field sportsbook adds to the company’s presence in the state and comes after plans were announced for a similar location at Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.
Ari Borod, chief business officer at Fanatics Betting and Gaming, said: “This is Fanatics Betting and 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.”
Earlier this year, the Guardians revealed plans for ‘Progressive Field Reimagined’, a redevelopment of the ballpark which will place a heavy emphasis on “social experiences”.
The renovation projects are scheduled to be completed over the next three years, with Manica serving as lead design architect and Ohio-based Moody Nolan on board as the architect of record.
Progressive Field Reimagined will seek to improve and extend the life of Progressive Field, which, having opened in 1994, is the 11th-oldest ballpark in MLB. It will include renovations to the Upper Deck, Terrace Club, Dugout Club, home and visiting clubhouses and service level, along with the Guardians’ administrative offices.
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