The light-colored hardwood floors, well-lit seating areas, and 28-foot-high ceilings keep the sports bar from the “man-cave influence” Holaday has seen in other sports bars and sports books. The layout is spread out roughly in thirds, with two 100-plus-seat restaurants - Italian offerings and espresso martinis from North End staple Frank & Nick’s and hamburgers, fries, shakes, and craft beer from Shake Shack - on either side of the Center Court area, where the focus is strictly on sports. The sports bar occupies the former site of the casino’s buffet, a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. A 9-foot-diameter sphere hovers over the bar’s casino floor entrance, the giant ball’s surface area entirely covered by a high-def digital display. MGM Springfield has reserved space in its casino for a sports book.Įncore Boston Harbor’s sports book has its own look and feel. The casino is owned by Penn National Gaming, which owns and operates the Barstool Sportsbook app for online wagering. Plainridge general manager North Grounsell said the casino has plans for both a temporary and permanent sports book, pending regulatory approval.
Like Encore Boston Harbor, Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville will be ready to take sports wagers as soon as it’s legal. Encore Boston Harbor is one of three operating casinos in the state, and all three are expected to gain approval from the MGC to have their own sites, and perhaps their own skins as well.
