Top Hat Sports Bar & Grill recently partnered with a leading gaming company to offer sportsbook services at the pool hall in Parkville, MD.
Pending approval from the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission, Elys Game Technology Corp. will host sportsbook services at the popular bar, which currently features 19 professional pool tables.
Bookmakers would be 8th MD sportsbook
Retail sports betting in Maryland has been live since last December. Online sports wagering has yet to begin. This new venture, Bookmakers LLC, would be the eighth land-based sportsbook in Maryland.
For more than 30 years, Top Hat Sports Bar & Grill has been Baltimore’s premier pool hall. The newly refurbished establishment also has ping pong tables, darts, arcade basketball and arcade claw machines. Top Hat features a sports bar with an upgraded food and drink menu. It also sports a lounge deck area with multiple flat-screen TVs for guests to view their favorite sports.
Italian sports betting supplier Elys operates in multiple countries worldwide and currently has operations in six US states. Elys boasts more than two decades of experience operating sports betting platforms. The company offers gaming products and services including:
- sports betting
- e-sports
- virtual sports
- online casino
- poker
- bingo
- interactive games
- slots
Sportsbook a win-win for Elys & Top Hat
Bookmakers owner Karen Senac thinks the sportsbook will fit in well at Top Hat.
“We are excited about the prospect of offering yet another layer of entertainment to the customers of that already busy establishment. I am truly excited at the prospect of being part of this progressive program in the state of Maryland and appreciate the support of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission in driving new revenue streams to support locally owned businesses.”
Michele Ciavarella, executive chairman of Elys, said its partnership with Top Hat is part of the company’s overall strategy.
“This partnership is a further example of both our growing traction within the state of Maryland as well as the eagerness of local business operators to provide their customers with sports betting as an ancillary product in their establishments. We plan to continue to aggressively develop our sales pipeline with additional bars, restaurants, and other retail establishments to implement our sportsbook solution throughout the nation.”
Elys recently partnered with Rod N’ Reel
In September, Elys announced a partnership with Rod N’ Reel Resort in Chesapeake Beach to provide sportsbook services. It’s uncertain whether Top Hat or Rod N’ Reel will be approved first.
Maryland has new rules pertaining to sports betting, recently approved by the state gaming commission. As one of the Class B entities allowed to apply for a sportsbook license, Rod N’ Reel is currently undergoing a three-phase renovation project.
The waterfront hotel expects to commence land-based sportsbook betting once it receives regulatory approval.
Rod N’ Reel President Mary Lanham said numerous companies were evaluated before Elys was selected. They found Elys’ platform and team distinguished themselves from the others. Lanham pointed to their user-friendliness and integration with the resort’s existing operations.
What won them over was the company’s proven track record with major casinos, as well as decades of experience in the sportsbook market.
Housed in Chesapeake Beach, Rod N’ Reel Resort sits on the western edge of the Chesapeake Bay. It has been a staple of Maryland culture for the past 80 years.
