When Maryland sports betting rolls out, Topgolf Maryland could go for the ace right away.
Thanks to a partnership with BetMGM Sportsbook, two locations in the state, convenient facets of gambling law, and one of the state’s six casinos, there are numerous possibilities for how involved Topgolf could be in gaming in the Old Line State.
While Marylanders can read the situation like golfers reads greens right now to some extent, a lot of the future ramifications are still hypothetical. However, there are definite incentives for all parties that might be involved.
Topgolf Maryland and BetMGM
Topgolf maintains two locations in MD. One is on Century Blvd in Germantown while the other sits on Clipper Way in Oxon Hill. Both venues participate in an ongoing promotion with BetMGM to the extent currently allowed by Maryland law.
In February, BetMGM and Topgolf announced their collaboration. It’s essentially a cross-promotional deal. Visitors to either location could see BetMGM branding around the venue, for example.
The synchronization also involves the WGT by Topgolf online game. Marylanders might have already started seeing advertisements for BetMGM while playing that game. That could represent the start of BetMGM’s expansion of this partnership in MD.
It’s essentially a foregone conclusion that BetMGM will apply for a sports betting license when the time comes. That’s due to the presence of MGM National Harbor, for one thing. BetMGM also has a sports betting partnership with the Baltimore Ravens, as well.
Assuming regulatory approval, all of these elements and more could be part of a campaign aimed at building both brands’ presence in MD. The only limits are both companies’ willingness to execute.
Could Topgolf get in on MD sports betting?
There are myriad possibilities. Some of them require more investment from Topgolf than others. For instance, a pretty minimalistic approach could be having special BetMGM Sportsbook bonus offers available at Topgolf locations and the WGT game.
In the past, Topgolf has actually opened up locations inside casinos. Provided a BetMGM retail sportsbook opens at MGM National Harbor, a Topgolf activation could be a mere few steps away for bettors. That isn’t the only brick-and-mortar scenario that’s possible here, either.
Under MD law, both/either Topgolf location(s) could be eligible to apply for a sports betting license of its own. The businesses would likely fall in either the B1 or B2 category. Upon approval, Topgolf could then rework its contract to give BetMGM control over the operations of the sportsbook.
In that scenario, a co-branded sports betting app, perhaps something like “Topgolf Sportsbook by BetMGM” might become available to Marylanders. Visitors could also place bets in-person between rounds, as well. Of course, that would represent a lot more startup cost and overhead for Topgolf as compared to just crafting some promos. The benefit, though, would be more opportunities for revenue.
All this partnership in MD could amount to in the future is BetMGM customers getting some special deals at Topgolf, and vice versa. However, the landscape exists for so much more.
