Great American Ball Park will cease to house BetMGM’s Cincinnati sportsbook later this year.
BetMGM announced Wednesday that it’s relocating its retail location from the home of the Cincinnati Reds to The Banks, a downtown entertainment district across the street from the stadium.
The new BetMGM Sportsbook is teaming up with Nation Kitchen & Bar to create a legal sports betting atmosphere in a restaurant that will be open to all ages.
Patrons will have to be 21 years of age to enter the sportsbook, which will feature several betting windows, self-service kiosks, and multiple televisions. The sportsbook, like the restaurant, will be open on non-game days.
“We are thrilled to expand BetMGM’s offering in Ohio,” Matt Prevost, Chief Revenue Officer of BetMGM said in a statement. “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.”
A fresh start for BetMGM
BetMGM, which operates in 21 legal betting states, said the sportsbook inside the Reds stadium will be open for business through the fall. BetMGM will continue its partnership that was formed with MLB franchise last October.
However, BetMGM’s downtown brick-and-mortar location, which opened on the Jan. 1 launch of Ohio sports betting, has not proven profitable for the operator since it began. The retail sportsbook reported its lowest handle of the year and a loss of over $38,000 in April. Its four-month revenue is -$8,025 thus far.
Moving to the entertainment district that attracts patrons year-round and attaching itself to the area’s popular restaurant chain could bring more business to the sportsbook.
“Bringing BetMGM and Nation Kitchen & Bar together adds another exciting destination to our vibrant downtown,” Reds CFO Doug Healy said. “This Nation Kitchen & Bar brings best-in-class food service from one of Cincinnati’s best eateries and BetMGM brings the best in sports gaming experience.”
Link to Alabama scandal
The BetMGM Sportsbook inside Great American Ball Park is where suspicious wagering on the University of Alabama took place in late April.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission prohibited all sportsbooks in the Buckeye State from accepting wagers on the Crimson Tide in early May after an integrity firm flagged unusual betting.
Less than a week later, Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon was fired. ESPN later reported that Bohannon has been caught on surveillance communicating with a person inside the BetMGM Sportsbook.
