Long Shot's opens in-person sports betting, first to do so in Western Maryland
Nov. 19—Long Shot's restaurant and bar in Frederick began offering in-person sports betting on Friday through the Betfred Sportsbook, making it the state's ninth retail sportsbook and first in Western Maryland.
Long Shot's opened a temporary in-person sportsbook on Friday. The restaurant is expected to unveil a permanent, larger in-person sportsbook in early 2023, owner Alyse Cohen has said.
"Our state-of-the-art permanent facility opening in early 2023 will be the first and only 100% woman-owned sportsbook in Maryland. It will also be the only sportsbook in the entire region," Cohen said in a news release Friday.
The Long Shot's sportsbook is the seventh retail book that Betfred Sports has opened in the U.S., Bryan Bennett, chief operating officer for Betfred, said in the news release.
Betfred Sports is a U.S. subsidiary of the Betfred Group, a United Kingdom-based bookmaker that owns and operates more than 1,400 betting spots in the U.K., and online and mobile products in the U.K. and Spain, according to the release.
Before opening its doors for in-person sports betting, Long Shot's had to complete a demonstration with the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Center.
Long Shot's was among 17 businesses designated for a retail sportsbook in Maryland's sports wagering law, which Marylanders voted for two years ago. Sports gambling revenue will increase funding for Maryland's public schools.
Long Shot's was the fourth Maryland business to open a retail sportsbook this year, joining Bingo World in Brooklyn Park, Riverboat on the Potomac in Charles County and Greenmount Station in Hampstead, according to the Maryland State Lottery & Gaming Control Agency.
The agency operates the Maryland Lottery and oversees the state's casinos and sports betting program, according to its website.
Five casinos — MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Live! Casino in Hanover, Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore, Hollywood Casino in Perryville and Ocean Downs Casino in Berlin — opened sportsbooks in December 2021.
Long Shot's and Betfred are also preparing to launch a mobile sports betting platform. The restaurant was one of 10 businesses the Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Committee approved for a mobile sports betting license on Nov. 16.
Seven of the 10 businesses plan to begin offering mobile sports betting Wednesday, Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director John Martin said during a meeting on Thursday. The seven businesses are:
— Arundel Amusements (Bingo World in Baltimore)
— BetMGM Maryland Sports
— Crown MD Online Gaming (DraftKings)
— CZR Maryland Mobile Opportunity (Horseshoe Casino Baltimore)
— PENN Maryland OSB (Hollywood Casino Perryville)
— PPE Maryland Mobile (Live! Casino and Hotel Maryland)
— Riverboat on the Potomac in Charles County
Long Shot's and Betfred, though, will not launch the mobile platform until early 2023, the businesses announced Friday.
The restaurant is also planning to open a sports betting facility in Hagerstown, Seth Elkin, spokesperson for the Maryland State Lottery & Gaming Control Agency, wrote in an email.
The Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Committee is scheduled to determine whether to grant Long Shot's a license for its Hagerstown location on Dec. 14.
