PENN Entertainment completed work on two of its new Barstool Sportsbook retail locations in Ohio just in time for the Super Bowl, and now it has a third ready on the eve of the NCAA Tournament.
Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway, one of four PENN properties in Ohio, scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony for 3 p.m. Friday for its new restaurant/bar/betting location at the racino. Officials declined to publicize many details in advance of the ceremony, but the betting/entertainment area will have 35 televisions and a 34-foot wide jumbotron above the bar for game viewing.
It is actually the second ribbon cutting for sports betting at the racetrack, as it also held one after the launch of legal sports betting in the state on Jan. 1. Bettors have been able to make use of a temporary facility since that time, but PENN has been spending money in legalized states across the country to remodel its gaming venues with sportsbooks making use of the Barstool-branded theme.
The company’s goal has been to attract a younger demographic that enjoys watching and betting sports in a lively atmosphere for eating and drinking, with a spillover effect of those patrons potentially indulging in other forms of gambling as well.
PENN opened the new retail sportsbooks at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley and Hollywood Casino Columbus in the days before the Super Bowl. Hollywood Casino Toledo is undergoing similar remodeling for the sportsbook there.
Hollywood Gaming Dayton is one of 14 retail sportsbook locations in the state, although mobile betting represented most of the mammoth $1.11 billion in wagering the state saw in January. The Dayton racino took nearly $1.5 million in sports bets, which ranked eighth among retail locations, and reported $275,493 in revenue from them.
First Four coming next week
Completion of the work at Dayton Raceway is all the more timely because of the First Four games of the NCAA Tournament taking place a short drive away next Tuesday and Wednesday at University of Dayton Arena. The eight teams playing in four games those two nights will be announced as part of the NCAA’s Selection Sunday this weekend.
There’s always a chance that one or more Ohio schools end up playing in Dayton, with Ohio State potentially in the mix after unexpectedly winning its first two games in the Big Ten tournament despite a 5-15 conference record during the season. The Buckeyes beat Iowa 73-79 Thursday, a day after defeating Wisconsin 65-57.
At 2:30 p.m. Friday, they play Michigan State, a team they lost to twice during the season, including 84-78 last Saturday. The online Barstool Sportsbook makes Ohio State a 4-point underdog while putting its moneyline at +155.
Here are the other Ohio teams in conference tournament action Friday, with odds from Barstool (which has no odds posted yet for Dayton’s Atlantic 10 game against Fordham at 3:30 p.m. Saturday):
- Cincinnati takes on Temple in AAC action at 3:30 p.m. as a 5-point favorite.
- Ohio and Toledo meet in MAC play at 5 p.m., with top-seeded Toledo favored by 5.
- Kent State and Akron also meet in the MAC tourney, at 7:30 p.m., with Kent State a 2-point favorite.
- Xavier, ranked 15th in the country, is a 3.5-point underdog facing Creighton at 9 p.m. in the Big East tournament.
Photo: Justin Casterline/Getty Images
