More details are now available about the future Horseshoe Casino sportsbook in Baltimore than ever before. The plans signal that it could be among the state’s largest brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and bring a new restaurant concept to Maryland as well.
With the announcement, Horseshoe becomes the third MD casino to reveal at least part of its plans for retail sports betting that’s set to start later this fall.
The question of just how late that will be is largely out of the casino’s hands right now, though.
Plans for the Horseshoe Casino sportsbook in Baltimore
According to Jessica Iannetta of Baltimore Business Journal, the casino plans to renovate its entire first floor. The result will be what it calls an “immersive entertainment environment.”
A Caesars Sportsbook will be part of that environment. The casino has not yet revealed how many betting windows the book will feature or if there will be betting kiosks in other parts of the casino. A reconfigured table games area is part of the plans, as well.
While the article does not specify whether the sportsbook will include its own seating and viewing screens, it will include beverage-and-food service. In fact, that’s part of what Horseshoe is pushing the most about the redesign.
Horseshoe will feature the first expansion of “The Brew Brothers” beyond Nevada. Currently, the only location for that restaurant is Eldorado Resort Casino in Reno. On top of local beer, it features a wide-ranging menu of food.
The plans say that The Brew Brothers will be able to seat 250 people at maximum capacity. It will also feature two VIP “Fan Caves” for private parties. It seems likely that those will be Baltimore Ravens-themed, as Caesars recently became a Ravens sponsor.
With this news, the race to have the flashiest new facilities in the state when sports betting in Maryland begins is definitely on. Horseshoe isn’t the only contender for that title, either.
Live! Casino in Hanover, MGM National Harbor busy as well
In June, Live! Casino & Hotel opened its new Sports & Social location, where the planned FanDuel Sportsbook will someday live. The sports bar-esque area features two bars, VIP lounges, and a 47-foot viewing screen.
Late last month, MGM National Harbor also revealed its intentions to revamp part of its space near the food court. Details on exactly what that BetMGM Sportsbook in Maryland will feature are still scant, though.
So far, there hasn’t been much commotion along these lines in regards to the Hollywood Casino, Ocean Downs, or the Rocky Gap Casino Resort. Marylanders should expect retail sportsbooks inside all three at some point, though.
If Horseshoe has its way, its renovated first floor will be among the most popular spots in Baltimore later this year. Exactly when is still a mystery, though. Regulators in the Old Line State still have not yet provided a firm target date for when in-person wagering might start.
In one way, that just gives the casinos plenty of time to work on their facilities. Hopefully, they will give sports fans around MD gleaming new places to bet, dine, and watch.
