New Sports Bar Opens At Maryland Live, Brings 100+ Jobs To County

HANOVER, MD — A new sports bar opened Thursday at Maryland Live! Casino & Hotel. The $15 million venue will bring more than 100 jobs to Hanover.

Customers can bowl, play foosball or try shuffleboard. The bar has 40 TVs, but the main attraction is the 47-foot big screen.

Under a new sports gambling law, patrons can soon bet on their favorite team while sipping a craft brew. The bar, called Sports & Social Maryland, is integrated into the casino floor. That means diners can head out to the slots while they wait for their food.

Patch recently partnered with several local organizations to bring you their latest news. This guest contribution comes from the Anne Arundel Chamber of Commerce. Here's what President and CEO Mark Kleinschmidt wrote about the bar:

"The pandemic created a tremendous slowdown of economic activity[,] but as the vaccination rate goes up and the gathering restrictions come down, we are starting to see some very positive signs of an economic rebound. Almost all Chamber members are getting ready for increased amounts of business in the summer and fall.

While the hospitality and restaurant industry may have been hit the hardest, they are working extra hard to get ready to rebound. Consumers are also ready to get out of the house. Now[,] they will have a new and exciting venue to check out: Sports & Social located at Live! Casino-Hotel.

The grand opening for Sports & Social is April 29th[,] but I was able to get a behind the scenes tour beforehand. The tag line for new venue is, “Raising the Sports Bar” and I must say this is a perfect description since [it's] so much more than just a sports bar.

The place is awesome for a sports fan or for anyone looking for a great entertainment experience. Let me tell you about my tour.

First of all, the General Assembly authorized sports betting in Maryland in the General Assembly session that ended on April 12. The new law will allow statewide mobile wagering for 60 online sportsbooks and retail sports betting at Maryland’s casinos, racetracks, professional sports stadiums and 30 more additional brick-and-mortar facilities. The final regulations will hopefully be hammered out in time for the Fall football season[,] and Live! Casino-Hotel will be ready [for] the best out of stadium sports viewing experience in Maryland.

As I walked up to the 212-seat venue, I was drawn in by the 100 linear feet of LED screens showing multiple baseball games, NFL draft previews and NBA games. The 47-foot-wide main screen will provide an awesome viewing experience from the various seating options which include bar seating, high tops, luxury booths and some tiered stadium style seating with some very comfortable seats.

The ... venue is elegantly blended into the casino space and creates [an] exciting and lively feeling. Live! Casino and Hotel has also gone the extra mile to make sure Sports & Social has incorporated social distancing into the layout and operations.

Well, you can’t watch a game without a beverage or something to eat[,] and Sports & Social has a wide range of intriguing themed craft cocktails, wine and craft beers. The Classic American Grill menu features a Maryland spin on game day favorites for appetizes, burgers and some top rate entrees.

It is clear that Sport & Social is not just for the sports fan but for anyone looking for an entertaining dining experience. The Live! Nachos are great for a little pre-game action and for the main event[,] the Kung Pao Bowl of the Steak Tagliata are great bets.

To make the experience of watching a game or having an entertaining dining experience even more unique, Sports & Social has incorporated some outstanding interactive features into the venue. This includes mini bowling alleys with computerized scoring and TV screens nearby, so you won’t miss any of the sports action.

They also offer the longest Foosball and Shuffleboard tables I have ever seen in a sports bar. The casino is seamlessly integrated into the Sports & Social venue[,] and you have easy access and ample opportunities to play the slots or try your luck at some table games.

This cutting-edge sports bar concept has a proven track record as Live! has opened similar venues in Atlanta, St. Louis, Texas, Pittsburg and Philadelphia. The design, décor and technology that has been integrated into Sports & Social did not come cheap at a cost of $15 million. The new venue will create over 100 new jobs which will provide additional stimulus to push the economic recovery forward.

When the sports betting [regulations] are in place, Sports & Social will be ready to go since they have forged a partnership with the FanDuel Group[,] a well know sports book and leader in [the] growing sports platform industry. Sports & Social will provide the exciting sports viewing venue[,] and FanDuel will provide the betting infrastructure that will make for an outstanding gameday experience.

So when it is time to watch the [Ravens'] next big game, the Washington Football Team or ... any of the annual big events like the Super Bowl, March Madness, the Masters or World Series[,] you will find it on the 40 plus screens at Sports & Social. If you cannot be at the game, this is the place to be. Not only for the exiting venue, food, and beverages but soon you can place a legal bet and really be part of the action.

I know seeing is believing[,] and I got a chance to see it before opening day[,] and you can too by clicking here. I think you will agree it is a HOME RUN.

Mark Kleinschmidt is the President/CEO of the Anne Arundel Chamber of Commerce located in Annapolis, MD. "

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