With New Park MGM Name Comes Inventive New MGM Sports Book
It’s official, Monte Carlo has left the Vegas Strip. The casino formerly known as Monte Carlo has a new name and identity. Moving forward the casino located next to New York-New York, The Park, and T-Mobile Arena will be known as Park MGM.
While construction will continue through the end of the year, more than half of the property has a new look and feel. Much of the casino floor and lobby evokes an earthy feeling with natural light and nature-inspired décor and art. The individual restaurants and bars have slightly different characteristics.
The new sportsbook at Park MGM fits the motif of the new casino but offers a more warm and cozy environment than other parts of the casino. Similar to the sportsbook at Monte Carlo, the sportsbook at Park MGM is closed off from the action on the casino floor. That’s where the similarities end.
The Moneyline Sports Bar and Book at Park MGM is just as the name states. This isn’t a traditional open seat sportsbook a la the Westgate. This 9,000 square foot venue is a bar, restaurant, and sportsbook similar to the CG Technology-operated Lagasse’s Stadium sportsbook and restaurant at The Palazzo.
Inside The Moneyline Sports Bar and Book
The betting desk and big board with lines is the first thing visitors see when entering the Moneyline sportsbook. The betting area is very small. Even though the property has just been renamed, Moneyline opened during the first weekend of March Madness.
The opening weekend of the sportsbook had lines out the door and into the casino. It wouldn’t be surprising to see similarly long lines throughout the football season. There doesn’t appear to be enough space for more than a handful of ticket writers. Maybe the space was created with the intent of promoting guests to sign up for mobile wagering accounts?
Moving a few more steps inside the Moneyline sportsbook is a cozy room with a billiards table, TV’s, and banquettes. This makes for a comfortable place to watch the games if guests don’t want to sit at the bar or in the dining area that follows.
The main room of Moneyline is large but not massive. The capacity for the venue is just over 300 people. The majority of the 61 TV’s at the Moneyline are located in this area. The hub of this section is the bar that has a very large screen above the bar for a feature game. Sports bettors looking for additional action can play video poker at the bar while watching the games.
The bar is surrounded with booths and cocktail tables for larger groups to eat and drink. The dining concept features a menu conceptualized by Hogsalt Hospitality with griddled cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches and more. The unique element with the eatery is the self-service, weigh-and-pay food selections for guests wanting to personalize their game day feast.
Farther away from T-Mobile Arena than previous sportsbook
The sportsbook at Monte Carlo was located right next to the exit closest to T-Mobile Arena. Strangely enough MGM Resorts International decided to place Moneyline Sports Book and Bar on the opposite side of the casino towards the entrance closest to the Vegas Strip (that’s still under construction).
Encouraging mobile wagering
Much of the gaming revenue for MM Resorts International comes from tourists. This segment of the market tends not to use mobile sports wagering apps. It’s no secret that MGM Resorts would like to increase use of their PlayMGM app.
The size and location of Moneyline are both incentives for guests to sign up and fund mobile sports wagering accounts. Even if the lines move quickly (Monte Carlo had a quick staff) the appearance of a long wait could encourage guests in the sportsbook to sign up for a mobile wagering account.
Perhaps the location strategy is similar to supermarkets placing specific items far from the entrance so customers have to walk through the store to get what they came for. In this case, sports fans and bettors will have to walk through most of the property before or after hockey, boxing, and UFC events at T-Mobile Arena.
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