Retail Sports Betting Now Available at Nationals Park
BetMGM and the Washington Nationals have been partners for quite some time in the sports betting market, and that partnership just took the next step on Monday. The BetMGM Sportsbook at Nationals Park is officially open for business, making this the first year-round retail sportsbook at an MLB stadium.
Action at the sportsbook is expected to pick up during the MLB season, but it will be available for fans throughout the year. Not only will this be a place to watch the biggest sporting events, but a sports bar is also included in this plan.
The new BetMGM Sportsbook covers 4,000 square feet of space and has a maximum capacity of 187 people. There are over 40 different big-screen televisions inside the sportsbook, and there is also a large odds board that will feature the latest odds.
There are different ways to bet inside the sportsbook, with both cashiers and self-serve kiosks available to customers. BetMGM has emerged as one of the U.S. sports betting industry leaders and can now be found in the nation’s capital.
The BetMGM mobile app officially launched in Washington D.C. last June, but it is only available within a two-block radius from the stadium. During home games for the Washington Nationals in 2022, there will now be two ways for bettors to use the BetMGM Sportsbook.
D.C. Sports Betting Sees Decrease
The launch of the new BetMGM Sportsbook was great news for the sports gambling market in D.C., but there was also some recent disappointment. The December sports betting totals are in, and there was a pretty significant drop in all of the wrong areas.
December’s total sports betting handle was $19.2 million after it climbed up to more than $21.4 million in November. Gambet led the way when it came to the total monthly handle, as that operator posted a figure of $4.96 million.
The drop in the total sports betting handle is concerning for D.C. sportsbooks, but it’s not the worst news from the report. The gross gaming revenue and the total tax revenue both dropped by close to 80 percent.
Washington D.C. brought in just over $73,000 in tax revenue from sports betting, but the launch of a new sportsbook should help moving forward.
Virginia A Better Option
One of the biggest issues for sports betting in Washington D.C. is there’s a much better option for bettors in Virginia. That state has legal online sports betting available, and it’s easy for residents of D.C. to cross the state line to place a wager.
Virginia has already had a total monthly handle of more than $400 million, and that state is still just getting started. More online sports betting options are coming, and the state will also be launching retail sports betting at some point in the future.
