Fanatics Inc. is readying another retail sportsbook tied to a pro sports venue with the planned opening a month from now of a site in partnership with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.
Fanatics made announcement Tuesday of the upcoming Fanatics Sportsbook Columbus, which will be located adjacent to Nationwide Arena. The opening is scheduled “at the end of August,” a press release stated.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the Blue Jackets to bring a world-class retail experience to the Arena District in downtown Columbus,” said Ari Borod, chief business officer of Fanatics Betting and Gaming. “The Jackets are one of the youngest teams in the league, and we are excited to leverage our partnerships to grow with them and complement our online sports betting experience that is currently being beta-tested in Ohio.”
In addition to Ohio, Fanatics is in invitation-only mode in gradually launching its new digital sportsbook in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Tennessee.
It already has the only retail sportsbook inside an NFL stadium at the Washington Commanders’ FedExField in Maryland.
Blue Jackets join others with Ohio sportsbooks
Ohio is one of several states whose sports betting laws enable professional franchises or sports organizations to partner with operators in opening sportsbooks at or near their facilities. Fanatics in partnership with the Cleveland Guardians previously indicated a retail sportsbook would open sometime this season connected to Progressive Field, which a Fanatics spokesman confirmed Tuesday is also likely to occur late next month.
Among other retail sportsbooks in Ohio are those run by Caesars at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse and one by BetMGM at the Cincinnati Reds’ Great American Ball Park, although the latter is planning to relocate away from the ballpark to a more regularly trafficked area of downtown Cincinnati.
Fanatics stated its Columbus sportsbook in partnership with the Blue Jackets will consist of 5,000 square feet with four betting windows, 14 self-service betting kiosks, a giant LED video wall, 20 TV monitors, and a full-service restaurant.
“The Columbus Blue Jackets are constantly seeking new and exciting ways to engage with our fans,” said Cameron Scholvin, the Blue Jackets’ chief operating officer. “We believe this collaboration with Fanatics Betting and Gaming on a world-class sportsbook location just outside the doors of Nationwide Arena in the heart of the Arena District does just that.”
