Ohio: Fanatics partners with NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets on retail sportsbook next to Nationwide Arena

Sports betting company Fanatics Betting and Gaming announced Tuesday upcoming plans to open a retail sportsbook location in partnership with National Hockey League team Columbus Blue Jackets, adjacent to Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. It is scheduled to open its doors at the end of August.

As per Fanatics, the newly designed retail sportsbook will be over 5,000 square feet and house four betting windows, 14 self-service betting kiosks, a big LED video wall, 20 TV monitors and a full-service restaurant. 

The Fanatics Sportsbook Columbus will offer viewing and betting markets "for all major sports" including professional and college football, basketball, hockey, and baseball, alongside tennis, soccer, golf, MMA and boxing.

Blue Jackets 🤝 @Fanatics

The new retail sportsbook location in the Arena Districthttps://t.co/Pn0aykhaml

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) July 25, 2023

The development and trading of sports betting markets will be done in-house at Fanatics Betting and Gaming and will be supported "by a number of world-class trading suppliers," said the company, the gaming subsidiary of sports apparel giant Fanatics.

"The Columbus Blue Jackets are constantly seeking new and exciting ways to engage with our fans," said Blue Jackets Sr. Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Cameron Scholvin. "We believe this collaboration with Fanatics Betting and Gaming on a world-class sportsbook location just outside the doors of Nationwide Arena in the heart of the Arena District does just that."

The Fanatics Sportsbook Columbus will be located at 401 North Front Street, adjacent to Nationwide Arena. The main entrance will be located in the alleyway immediately north of the entrances to Buca di Beppo and Starbucks. 

"We're thrilled to be partnering with the Blue Jackets to bring a world-class retail experience to the arena district in downtown Columbus," said Ari Borod, Chief Business Officer, Fanatics Betting and Gaming.

"The Jackets are one of the youngest teams in the league, and we are excited to leverage our partnership to grow with them and complement our online sports betting experience that is currently being beta-tested in Ohio."

As Fanatics works on opening its retail facility, the operator continues with the beta testing of its online Fanatics Sportsbook in Ohio. The sportsbook, which went live with online betting this year, has now gained market access to four states in the United States.

In January, Fanatics launched online operations in Ohio and opened the Fanatics Sportsbook in Maryland at FedExField in partnership with the Washington Commanders, the first retail sportsbook inside an NFL stadium. Since then, it has also gone live with wagering in Massachusetts and Tennessee.