Fanatics Sportsbook Closes at Cleveland Guardians’ Progressive Field

Posted on: April 8, 2025, 10:38h. 

Last updated on: April 8, 2025, 11:02h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • Fanatics Sportsbook at Progressive Field in Cleveland has closed
  • Like most states with online and retail wagering, the vast majority of sports bets in Ohio are placed online
  • Caesars has shuttered its retail sportsbook at the Cavs arena

The Fanatics Sportsbook at Progressive Field, home of the MLB Cleveland Guardians, has closed for good.

Fanatics Sportsbooks Cleveland Guardians Progressive Field
A screengrab of a Cleveland Guardians game at Progressive Field shows an advertisement behind home plate for the ballpark’s Fanatics Sportsbook. The retail sports betting facility has closed ahead of the Guardians’ home opener today, April 8, 2025. (Image: MLB)

Crain’s Cleveland Business broke the news on Monday that the Guardians had shuttered the Fanatics Sportsbook less than two years after it opened in August 2023. The retail sports betting facility took the place of a former New Era sports merchandise store, the exclusive supplier of baseball caps for Major League Baseball since 1993.

Located outside the Right Field District Gate, the Fanatics Sportsbook was open from 2 pm to 8 pm on weekdays and 11 am to 9 pm on weekends. The sportsbook was also open two hours before the first pitch through the conclusion of every Guardians home game.

With online wagering allowed in Ohio, in-person sportsbooks have struggled to stay relevant. About 98% of the $9 billion in legal sports bets wagered in Ohio last year came via the internet. Retail revenue totaled $16.5 million to online sportsbook win at more than $882.9 million. 

Cleveland Sportsbook Foot Traffic  

Progressive Field’s location is southeast of Cleveland’s downtown city center. When the Guardians and/or neighboring NBA Cavaliers aren’t in town, the area isn’t heavily walked by pedestrians, as the stadiums butt up against Ontario St. and the busy Interstate 90 intersection. As a result, foot traffic to the Fanatics Sportsbook was often scarce.

According to the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC), which regulates online and retail sports betting, the Fanatics Sportsbook at Progressive Field took just $872,775 in bets in 2024. One of the least-bet retail sportsbooks in the state, Fanatics’ poor performance came despite the Guardians winning the American League Central with the second-best record in the AL and making a deep playoff run until they lost to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

On the roughly $873K wagered, Fanatics oddsmakers at the Progressive Field location kept just $56,676 of the wagers on a 6.5% hold.

At the nearby Caesars Sportsbook at Rocket Arena, a similar decision was made to shutter the retail sportsbook operation. The roughly 10K-square-foot facility has been converted into the Caesars Atrium Club, a premium space reserved for Cavs United and Caesars Rewards members.

FanDuel, DraftKings Dominate

Along with being located in difficult pedestrian areas during non-gamedays, the Fanatics and Caesars sportsbooks likely struggled due to maintaining a low market share in the Ohio sports gambling industry. Many Ohioans and out-of-towners opt to use their mobile devices to place legal bets in the Buckeye State, which provides customer promotions and better convenience than venturing to the physical counter or kiosk.

As of January 2025, Fanatics and Caesars Sportsbooks each retained about 5% market share of the legal sports betting market in the US. FanDuel is the market leader at 37%, and DraftKings is a close second at 35.5%. The data comes from Casino Reports, which keeps tabs on sportsbook share based on handle and revenue.

Fanatics remains optimistic it can compete with the two power players. The sportsbook continues to make gains, although those gains have slowed from 2023 and last year after Fanatics acquired PointsBet for $225 million.

Fanatics continues to operate its retail sportsbook at Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets.