Just two days after the official launch of the Fanatics Sportsbook app in Ohio and three other states, the sports betting newcomer is providing residents of the Cleveland area a new chance to bet in person.
Fanatics Betting and Gaming is opening its retail sportsbook at the Cleveland Guardians’ Progressive Field Friday afternoon prior to the team’s doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned at 2:30 p.m., featuring a first bet by former Cleveland pitcher Paul Shuey.
The 600-square-foot sportsbook, located outside the ballpark’s Right Field District Gate in space formerly occupied by a New Era store, will feature two betting windows, four self-service betting kiosks, and seven TV monitors. It will normally be open to the general public — not just those attending baseball games — from 2 to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 11 am. to 9 p.m. on weekends, with additional hours on game days.
If you’ve got a C on your cap, join us and @CleGuardians at Progressive Field tomorrow for the grand opening of Fanatics Sportsbook.
Your city. Our sportsbook. C you there.⚾️ pic.twitter.com/8CFcEYOW7s
— Fanatics Sportsbook (@FanaticsBook) August 17, 2023
Ohio’s law that brought legalized sports betting to the state on Jan. 1 allows professional sports franchises to partner with sportsbook operators for retail sportsbooks at or near the teams’ venues. Among others taking advantage of the opportunity, the Cleveland Cavaliers have partnered with Caesars Sportsbook for a sportsbook at their arena, and the Cincinnati Reds have used BetMGM for a retail sportsbook.
In addition to the Progressive Field sportsbook, Fanatics last month announced plans through partnership with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets to open a sportsbook adjacent to the team’s Nationwide Arena. The location, which will be bigger than the sportsbook in Cleveland, was to open “at the end of August,” but no specific date has yet been announced.
At the Washington Commanders’ FedExField in Maryland, Fanatics operates the only retail sportsbook inside an NFL stadium.
Ohio a key state for Fanatics
The busy retail expansion by Fanatics in Ohio comes in the biggest of the four states in which it has laid the groundwork for a major national growth plan. The longtime merchandiser welcomed a limited number of customers for several months of beta testing of its app there and in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Tennessee before officially launching Wednesday to the general public.
On that limited basis in June, Fanatics took $2.2 million in bets in Ohio and generated revenue of $402,222 from them. Its volume was the 11th highest among 18 mobile operators, but it should be expected to move up in the future with the full launch.
Some 97% of sports betting in Ohio is done online, with 14 retail sportsbooks in the state combining for a total of $13.7 million in June betting out of $362.1 million in overall statewide handle.
While Ohio is one of the few states in which Fanatics already has online and retail access as an operator, that is expected to change soon through the company’s acquisition of the U.S. assets of PointsBet.
