Business leaders, elected officials celebrate launch of permanent sportsbook facility at Long Shot's
Oct. 22—More than 100 people gathered in Frederick on Thursday to celebrate the launch of Long Shot's permanent sportsbook facility.
Long Shot's restaurant and bar at the Clarion Inn Frederick Event Center on Holiday Drive has conducted off-track betting since 2019. It opened a temporary sportsbook late last year following the statewide legalization of sports betting.
Long Shot's was approved in November 2022 for a mobile sports betting license. Mobile betting began in February 2023.
The permanent facility features live food and drink vendors, a video wall for visitors to watch several games at once and seating for 157 people. The location also has both live and kiosk tellers, where bettors can place wagers.
Jennifer Gerlock, the vice president of marketing and communications for the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, said Thursday's event had "one of the biggest turnouts for a ribbon-cutting this year."
County and state elected officials attended, along with representatives from the Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's office and the State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency.
Speakers included County Executive Jessica Fitzwater, Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rick Weldon, state House Ways and Means Committee Chairwoman Vanessa Atterbeary, Lottery and Gaming Commissioner Randy Marriner, and state Del. Ken Kerr.
"What's so great about facilities like this is we bring people into Frederick, they spend their money and they go home," Kerr said. "They don't send their kids to our schools — all they do is give us their money."
Kerr said Frederick is a prime location for a sportsbook because of its proximity to Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
With the grand opening of Long Shot's, Frederick is now home to the only 100% woman-owned sportsbook in the state, according to Lottery and Gaming spokesman Seth Elkin.
Alyse Cohen, the owner of Long Shot's, said she traveled to Annapolis on multiple occasions to testify in support of sports betting legislation and to emphasize the importance of including women and minorities in the sportsbook industry.
"Sports betting, interestingly enough, does have a lot of female bettors, and so we try to make the space really comfortable for everyone," Cohen said. "A lot of people think it's just a guy's situation, whereas this is really meant for everybody to come and enjoy."
