DraftKings to open sports-betting restaurant and bar in the Short North on May 9
Columbus will get its fourth on-site sports-betting location May 9 when DraftKings Sports & Social opens in the Short North.
DraftKings, the online sports-betting company, and Live! Hospitality & Entertainment, which opened PBR Cowboy Bar at Easton Town Center in February, are collaborating on the venture, a combination sports bar, sportsbook and restaurant. It is to be 840 N. High St., in space that formerly housed Melt Bar & Grilled.
More: PBR Cowboy Bar opens in Columbus, and here are 5 things that make it worth a visit
There are two other DraftKings Sports & Social locations currently in operation, and the Columbus venue will be its first. Others are in suburban Detroit and Nashville.
The 5,500-square-foot bar and restaurant is to feature a 37-foot LED media wall and 20 additional high-definition TV sets. Customers 21 and older will be able to bet on sports through the DraftKings Sportsbook app, and they will be able to participate in daily fantasy-sports contests from their mobile devices.
Watch parties on game days for Ohio State, the Columbus Crew and the Columbus Blue Jackets will include local celebrities, DJs, in-game entertainment, fan cams, audio-visual effects and giveaways, the partners said in their announcement.
"We have created a premier entertainment, sports and dining destination for fans and fun-seekers to enjoy," Michael Kibort, vice president of product operations for DraftKings, said in a news release from the company.
"Columbus is a really special city, and we’re looking forward to being able to offer our customers in Ohio an exciting in-person experience with our innovative mobile sportsbook app."
The menu at DraftKings Sports & Social looks extensive and covers all the sports-bar bases: burgers, sandwiches, wings, tacos, flatbreads, salads and shareable appetizers. The sports bar will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sundays through Wednesdays and from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.
The doors will open to the public at 9 p.m. on May 9.
More: Ohio sports bettors placed $7.7 billion in bets in 2023. Here's where they won the most
Ohio lawmakers voted to legalize sports betting in 2021, and the law signed by Gov. Mike DeWine went into effect Jan. 1, 2023. Sports betting is now available at the Hollywood Casino and Eldorado Scioto Downs, as well as at Fanatics Sportsbook that opened outside Nationwide Arena last year.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: DraftKings Sports & Social to open May 9 in Columbus' Short North
