The BetMGM Sportsbook at Great American Ball Park will be closing down this autumn and moving to The Banks in downtown Cincinnati, the company announced Wednesday.
The new sportsbook will be located at the corner of Second Street and Joe Nuxhall Way and will feature the city’s fourth Nation Kitchen & Bar restaurant, which will be open to patrons of all ages. The sportsbook area — featuring numerous betting windows and kiosks, along with plenty of televisions — will be limited to those 21 and older.
“We are thrilled to expand BetMGM’s offering in Ohio,” Matt Prevost, the chief revenue officer of BetMGM, said in a press release. “The Reds and Nation Kitchen & Bar are great partners, and together we’re building a premier entertainment venue that we can’t wait to see filled with fans.”
Last fall, BetMGM was named the official sports betting partner of the Reds, and the sportsbook opened at the ballpark on Jan. 1, the first day of legal wagering in Ohio.
“Bringing BetMGM and Nation Kitchen & Bar together adds another exciting destination to our vibrant downtown,” Doug Healy, the Reds’ chief financial officer, added in the release. “This Nation Kitchen & Bar brings best-in-class food service from one of Cincinnati’s best eateries, and BetMGM brings best in sports gaming experience.”
Retail book wasn’t profitable
Last week, WCPO 9 in Cincinnati first reported BetMGM was looking to move on from the Great American Ball Park, noting it was the only retail sportsbook in Ohio that wasn’t profitable. According to revenue reports from the Ohio Casino Control Commission, the sportsbook took a net loss of over $8,000 from January through April.
Additionally, the sportsbook was the site at which bets were placed in a betting scandal tied to University of Alabama baseball.
“There was suspicious activity and behavior that the BetMGM staff noted and that triggered a notice from BetMGM to both U.S. Integrity and to the commission. That’s how it started,” Matt Schuler, executive director of the OCCC, told WCPO. “Using the tools available, BetMGM gave us substantial information that was credible enough for the commission to very quickly decide to cease all betting activity on Alabama baseball.”
