CLEVELAND — We're more than seven months into the official legalization of sports gambling in Ohio, and the Guardians are about to become the latest team to bring it right to their doorstep.
The team on Friday in connection with Fanatics Betting and Gaming will formally unveil its new Fanatics Sportsbook outside Progressive Field. The betting hub will be housed near the Right Field District Gate on the corner of Larry Doby Way and East 9th Street, where the old New Era cap store once stood.
Officials say the sportsbook will be open weekdays from 2-8 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. even when the Guards aren't playing at home. When a home game is taking place, fans can place wagers beginning two hours before first pitch through the final out.
To celebrate the new venture, former Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Paul Shuey will place the ceremonial first bet following the ribbon cutting ceremony, which begins at 2:30 p.m. A former first-round draft pick, Shuey was a mainstay in the Tribe's bullpen from 1994-2002, posting a 3.60 ERA (133 ERA+) across 361 appearances during that span.
The Guardians are following in the footsteps of other organizations in the area by opening their own physical sportsbook, with the Cavaliers doing so when gambling became legal on Jan. 1 and Canton's Pro Football Hall of Fame Village also making such plans. The Browns have yet to establish an on-site location at their stadium, though the team has received a license and did sign on with Bally's Interactive as their official partner.
