Hollywood Casino Toledo Unveiling New ESPN Bet Sportsbook On Friday

A popular casino in Ohio is ready to take the next step with a retail sports betting partner.

Hollywood Casino Toledo will unveil its newly-branded ESPN Bet sportsbook and restaurant on Friday. This is one of several ESPN Bet retail sportsbooks that popped up across Ohio this fall, along with locations in Columbus, Dayton, and Youngstown.

The Toledo sportsbook used to be powered by Barstool sportsbook, another PENN Entertainment venture it pulled out of before ESPN Bet was launched.

A new attraction

ESPN Bet’s newest facility is located inside Hollywood Casino Toledo just off of Interstate 75 and next to the Maumee River.

The sportsbook is on the main casino floor next to Final Cut Steakhouse. Inside, visitors will find three betting windows, 19 betting kiosks, 13 video poker machines, more than 40 television screens, and a 460-square-foot jumbotron. 

“We are thrilled to bring this premium betting and viewing atmosphere to our customers in the great city of Toledo,” said Brad Hirsch, Hollywood Casino Toledo vice president and general manager. “Leveraging the ESPN BET brand allows us to deliver an even better experience for our guests not just on the betting side, but the dining and sports viewing side as well. 

“We are looking forward to finding new and exciting ways to activate our ESPN BET space and deliver unique experiences that you can only find here at Hollywood Toledo," said Hirsch.

ESPN Bet is already live for online sports bettors in Ohio in addition to 17 other states. 

All four of its retail locations in Ohio are under the Hollywood casino brand. Those locations are:

• Hollywood Casino Columbus
• Hollywood Casino Toledo
• Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway
• Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley

Breaking ground

ESPN Bet launched in November 2023 three months after PENN Entertainment sold 100 percent of its shares to Barstool founder Dave Portnoy for $1. 

Executives at both companies planned to leverage the ESPN brand to acquire a larger audience in ways that Barstool struggled to. However, after a promising start, ESPN Bet quickly fell behind top competitors FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars, as well as up-and-comer Fanatics.

ESPN Bet has spent most of 2024 expanding its reach both with its audience acquisition and by entering new jurisdictions. Just Monday, New York regulators approved its purchase deal of WynnBet’s operator’s license and greenlighted it to accept wagers in the Big Apple.

To celebrate the launch of another attraction, ESPN Bet at Hollywood Casino Toledo on Friday will give customers free merchandise and the chance to win free college football tickets or a new video gaming console.

Radio personalities Common Man and T-Bone will also take their show to Hollywood Casino Columbus on Friday, during which they will give away free tickets to the Indiana Fever’s home playoff game (if it is necessary).