The Greene Turtle announced Wednesday that it will house sportsbooks in two upcoming locations, marking one of the most significant steps toward sports gambling in the restaurant industry.
On February 15, Finest Flag Gaming, a startup company, was awarded two licenses by the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission to oversee sportsbooks in The Greene Turtle’s Canton and Towson, Maryland, stores. The operation will be supported by betPARX, a concept that offers “thrilling sportsbook and casino action” in New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan, according to its website.
The Canton and Towson units are under construction and will showcase a “modern, innovative design for an optimal sports betting and sports viewing experience,” The Greene Turtle said. This includes state-of-the-art audio and visual technology, such as tickers that will keep bettors informed. The sportsbooks are projected to be ready prior to the NFL and college football seasons.
“We’re super excited to partner with Finest Flag Gaming and betPARX, to take our guest experience to the next level,” Geo Concepcion, CEO of The Greene Turtle, said in a statement.
The sports betting industry earned $1.68 billion in revenue in Q3, beating the prior year total by 80.6 percent and surpassing the previous record of $1.62 billion in Q1. Through September, revenue already reached an all-time high at $4.78 billion, above 2021’s full-year total of $4.34 billion. The industry has soared in recent years after the Supreme Court legalized commercial sports betting in 2018. In September 2022, Pew Research Center found in a survey that about 19 percent of U.S. adults have personally bet money on sports in some way in the past 12 months. GeoComply, an organization that tracks sports gambling, told CNBC there were 100 million transactions during Super Bowl weekend, a 25 percent increase year-over-year. BetMGM in Las Vegas said this year was its most successful Super Bowl and most bet sporting event ever.
About 60 percent of states have legalized sports betting. The Greene Turtle is based in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, New York, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey—each one allows sports gambling.
The Greene Turtle is one of several concepts looking to take advantage of the growing market. For example, Hooters has partnerships with DraftKings and Points Bet in certain restaurants and uses TVs to show betting game schedules and odds. In 2021, Buffalo Wild Wings launched a sports betting experience with BetMGM in Colorado, New Jersey, Indiana, Iowa, Tennessee and West Virginia. Dave & Buster’s has repeatedly shown interest in sports gambling, but hasn’t moved forward with any agreements yet.
