In giving a tour, Chaudry noted that the ticket-writing counter with its five windows, three odds boards, and 18 kiosks nearby for self-service betting are basically the same (although four kiosks have been moved to a casino entrance for those wanting to make quick in-and-out bets), but virtually everything else is different from the sportsbook that first opened in October 2019. Frabbiele and Atif Chaudry, the longtime sportsbook manager recently promoted to a supervisory position overseeing regional sportsbooks for Penn National, believe the enlarged, airy sportsbook will help close that gap.

The Meadows’ main competitor for retail sports bettors is Rivers Pittsburgh, about 30 miles away, where the monthly betting volume close to downtown and the city’s sports stadiums is generally more than three times as high as at The Meadows. Previous versions opened at Hollywood Casino at Penn National, Hollywood Casino Morgantown, and Hollywood Casino York, all in central Pennsylvania. The Meadows is the fourth Penn National property with a Barstool Sportsbook that combines a big sports bar setting with the traditional betting counter and kiosks. The casino’s owner, Penn National Gaming, is part-owner of Barstool Sports and has adopted the brand for both its online sportsbook and retail betting operations. “We believe we’ll be able to attract a lot more younger customers,” Frabbiele said, by creating a lively atmosphere and all-around dining/entertainment options while making prominent use of the Barstool Sports brand, which is popular among many young adults. It gained the space of a buffet restaurant that became a victim of the COVID era, just as with its counterparts in casinos across the country. Meadows General Manager Tony Frabbiele promised that there would be no better place to simultaneously watch a game, eat and drink, and bet on sports than in the expanded sportsbook environment.

Still, casino officials couldn’t have been happier to show it off with an opening celebration.

Late on a Thursday afternoon with the RBC Canadian Open’s first round the biggest thing airing on its new 48-foot-wide video wall, it was hardly prime time for the just-completed $7 million Barstool Sportsbook at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows.

Hollywood casino columbus sportsbook