- The Horseshoe Casino Baltimore has opened a Caesars Sportsbook retail location following the launch of sports betting in Maryland earlier in the day.
- Maryland Governor Larry Hogan placed the state’s first bet at BetMGM at MGM National Harbor–a futures wager on the Washington Football Team to play the Baltimore Ravens in the 2022 Super Bowl.
- Mobile betting in Maryland remains ‘TBA’.
Retail sports betting in Maryland is now up and running following the launch of the BetMGM sportsbook at the MGM National Harbor. It was the first of several sportsbooks opening in Maryland including the Caesars Sportsbook location at the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore.
At the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, a slew of dignitaries real and imagined were on hand for the grand opening of the Caesars Sportsbook retail location including Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, former Ravens greats Torrey Smith and Adalius Thomas, and former Dunbar High School and NBA star Muggsy Bogues. Unlike the BetMGM opening, where the focus was on the sportsbook itself the majority of the coverage for the Caesars Sportsbook opening focused on the various athletes and politicians on hand.
After opening the BetMGM sportsbook earlier in the day, Governor Larry Hogan was on hand and make the ‘rookie mistake’ of giving essentially the same quote as he did at the rival property:
“Today marks the culmination of more than a year of effort to get sports betting up and running here in the State of Maryland. In addition to allowing Marylanders to bet on the NFL, March Madness, and more, sports betting will also help to keep more dollars in-state and will provide another critical revenue source for public education without raising taxes on families and small businesses.”
Here’s what he said at BetMGM:
“Today marks the culmination of more than a year of effort to get sports betting up and running here in the State of Maryland. In addition to allowing Marylanders to bet on football, basketball, and more, sports betting will also help to keep more dollars in-state and will provide another critical revenue source for public education without raising taxes on families and small businesses.”
It doesn’t appear that Hogan placed a bet at the Caesars Sportsbook location. It would be refreshing for a politician to just say that sports betting is launching ‘because people enjoy it and state government has no business keeping them from doing it’. I won’t hold my breath for that to happen.
The new Caesars Sportsbook at Horseshoe Baltimore is apparently one piece of a property wide renovation. You fans of overused buzzwords will be pleased to learn that the first floor of the property is being transformed into a ‘highly immersive entertainment environment’. The retail sportsbook will be supplemented by 14 kiosks throughout the property:
The new Caesars Sportsbook at Horseshoe Baltimore is a critical element in the transformation of the casino’s first level into a highly immersive entertainment environment. The renovation will feature a reconfigured area for table games and The Brew Brothers Tap House, an award-winning dining concept not available anywhere else in Maryland.
In addition to placing wagers at Caesars Sportsbook’s main ticket counter on the casino’s first level, sports fans can enjoy an unmatched betting experience using 14 self-service betting kiosks located throughout the casino.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott also offered a quote though he clearly didn’t get the memo that you can’t play the ‘jobs’ angle given the fact that the labor market in the US is insanely tight. At this point, there’s probably not enough workers to fill the ‘hundreds of additional jobs’. It’s almost as if Mayor Scott doesn’t understand basic economic concepts:
“Today’s announcement represents one of several major investments being made in South Baltimore. The sportsbook facility at Horseshoe Casino Baltimore will complement the emerging redevelopment of Warner Street into the City’s next great entertainment destination. With Topgolf already under construction and the groundbreaking for Paramount coming soon, this area will host hundreds of additional jobs for our residents and provide space for businesses that will expand and diversify our tax base, while creating synergies with the stadium events and connecting to new parks and trails lining the Middle Branch.”
I enjoy Topgolf as much as the next guy, but the fact that Mayor Scott is using it as a sign of economic revival in the city is pretty sad. In other news, Baltimore is a solid number two behind St. Louis for the ‘highest murder rate’ in the US. Baltimore has 58.27 murders per 100,000 people well behind St. Louis (64.54 murders per 100,000) but well ahead of third place Birmingham (50.62 per 100,000). Baltimore makes Detroit with 41.45 murders per 100,000 people look downright peaceful.
Horseshoe Baltimore Senior Vice President and General Manager Randy Conroy also had a quote about the launch of the Caesars Sportsbook location:
“We are pleased to introduce the industry’s leading sports wagering brand to Baltimore and Maryland. Caesars Sportsbook offers the best sports wagering experience in markets across America, and now Marylanders will have the opportunity to enjoy all of its many benefits exclusively at Horseshoe Baltimore. As with any type of wager made at Horseshoe Baltimore, bets placed at Caesars Sportsbook count toward unique perks in our Caesars Rewards player loyalty program.”
Caesars Sportsbook is now available in one form or another in 19 US states, the Bahamas and the District of Columbia.
