Kris Johnson Deputy Editor -- CasinoBeats.com
Kris Johnson is a Charlotte-based deputy editor. He joined CasinoBeats in July 2025 and oversees the daily news flow of editing and publishing. Kris also reports on all aspects of the gambling industry with a...
Read Full BioBetMGM Sportsbook at Nationals Park will close on Sept. 28 when Washington’s MLB team concludes the regular season with a game against the Chicago White Sox. With a record of 64-94, the Nationals are out of playoff contention.
Company officials announced that Sept. 21 marked the last day to wager, and Sept. 28 will be the final day to cash tickets.
Online Effect: Brick-and-Mortar Sportsbooks Struggle at Stadiums & Arenas
Sports Business Journal noted that the company will remain as a team sponsor, and BetMGM Sportsbook was “the first connected to an MLB ballpark when it opened in 2022.” The sportsbook featured a 4,000-square-foot sports bar, six betting windows, and 17 kiosks.
With approximately 95% of all legal sports betting coming online, brick-and-mortar sportsbooks have struggled. Fanatics Sportsbook at Progressive Park, home of the Cleveland Indians, closed in April of this year. SBJ noted that the sportsbook lost close to $230K last season, “and took less than $20,000 worth of bets” before closing in 2025.
Jessica Feil serves as vice president of regulatory affairs and compliance at the sports betting entertainment firm OpenBet. Fell pinpointed the biggest challenge for venue-based books.
“The reality is, in these venues, in these arenas, we have a lot of bettors who are digital-first,” Fell said. “They’re familiar with mobile betting. Their whole lives are on their mobile devices, everything from entertainment, to banking, to your school, to your work, everything’s on mobile.
“So how do we make that transition from mobile to the real-time space?”
Fanatics Sportsbook & Gaming Chief Business Officer Ari Borod echoed those sentiments, adding: “I think the success and the sophistication of the online products has continued to advance quite rapidly. For the most part, it’s a good experience to take out your phone and be able to bet with it.”
North Carolina is the most recent state to legalize sports betting in March 2024, and several retail sportsbooks were being discussed at venues including Bank of America Stadium, Spectrum Center, and Charlotte Motor Speedway in the greater Charlotte metro area. None of those came to fruition.
Brett Abarbanel, executive director of the International Gaming Institute at UNLV, concluded: “It’s almost like we’ve passed the moment in the kind of human and technology interaction history where a really cool high-tech book at a stadium would be the ultimate destination to go to. Because now we can get this on our phones.”
