A recent scandal in Ohio sports betting coupled with sluggish sales has greased the skids for BetMGM Sportsbook to vacate its location at the home of the Cincinnati Reds in the fall.
BetMGM Strikes Out
There are many hardships a sportsbook can overcome but lack of foot traffic at a venue designed for tens of thousands of people at 81 events a year and a betting scandal are not among them.
Although attendance has picked up recently, it was less than three months ago, April 17th to be precise, that the smallest crowd ever assembled at the Great American Ballpark during its 21 seasons in existence, witnessed the Reds defeat the Rays, 8-1, in front of just 7,375 people.
The Reds ranked 24th last season with an average attendance of 17,447 and the BetMGM Sportsbook has not been able to attract enough of those baseball fans to sustain operations in the ballpark. Through the first four months of operations, BetMGM had a net revenue at its retail location of -$8,025 and lost over $38,000 in April alone.
BetMGM will move into new digs at a downtown multi-use facility known as The Banks after they vacate in the fall. Matt Prevost, the chief revenue officer of BetMGM, said in a press release, “We are thrilled to expand BetMGM’s offering in Ohio. The Reds and Nation Kitchen & Bar are great partners, and together we’re building a premier entertainment venue that we can’t wait to see filled with fans.”
“Bringing BetMGM and Nation Kitchen & Bar together adds another exciting destination to our vibrant downtown,” Doug Healy, the Reds’ chief financial officer, added in the release. “This Nation Kitchen & Bar brings best-in-class food service from one of Cincinnati’s best eateries, and BetMGM brings the best in sports gaming experience.”
Betting Scandal
A gentleman by the name of Bert Eugene Neff Jr. was in communication with the University of Alabama baseball coach, Brad Bohannon while placing a bet at the BetMGM sportsbook in the Great American Ballpark before an Alabama/LSU game on April 28th.
Apparently, the size of the wagers on a college baseball game aroused suspicion and less than a week later Bohannon was terminated.
Matt Schuler, executive director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) said, “There was suspicious activity and behavior that the BetMGM staff noted and that triggered a notice from BetMGM to both U.S. Integrity and to the commission.
“That’s how it started. Using the tools available, BetMGM gave us substantial information that was credible enough for the commission to very quickly decide to cease all betting activity on Alabama baseball.”
Evidence and New Beginning
US Integrity founder and CEO Matt Holt also commented on the ongoing investigation and stated, “I can’t get into the facts, but let’s just say that (Neff’s) activity and his mannerisms around the actual sportsbook employees triggered them to then go to their manager, who said, ‘Let’s get surveillance on this.
“And I think when the facts come out when their investigation is done and they have to release the evidence, everyone will see that this guy didn’t make it hard. What he did, his activity made it blatantly obvious something was wrong. And then they were able to report to their manager, and they were able to go to surveillance and get an unbelievable amount of evidence via surveillance.”
When asked if the lack of business and the scandal (which to be fair had nothing to do with BetMGM except they took the bets but immediately reported the activity) caused the split from their current location, a company spokesperson had this to say:
“No correlation at all. Our current location at the Machine Room at Great American Ball Park was always meant to be temporary. Our new location is much larger and will feature a full National Kitchen & Bar Restaurant.”
BetMGM and the Cincinnati Reds remain corporate partners despite the move to the downtown area.
Calculators
