First look inside MGM National Harbor´s sportsbook

The 350-person capacity BetMGM Sportsbook & Lounge is virtually complete within the 1 million-square-foot resort, combining a 110-foot-long wraparound video screen, recliner-to-stadium seating, a full bar, seven betting windows and 17 betting kiosks.

The new sportsbook, MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) said, will serve as the “archetype for future MGM Resorts sports betting destinations.” The 8,000-square-foot venue, complete with DJ booth and radio broadcast facilities, sits on the casino floor next to National Market. It can only be accessed from the casino floor, not from the resort’s food hall.

Guests will enter the space through a full bar built beneath a 360-degree halo screen projecting games in all directions, per MGM. Seating sections at various heights will offer unobstructed views toward the wraparound screen, while customers can order food and drink from National Market via any phone and have it delivered to their seats.

The BetMGM Sportsbook will ultimately be one of three staffed sports betting locations at MGM National Harbor. TAP Sports Bar will eventually get four kiosks and four betting windows; level two of the casino will get 10 kiosks and five betting windows; and the main casino floor will have six kiosks.

Maryland has started accepting sports betting license applications from the entities specifically named in the authorizing legislation: its six casinos, two race tracks, three sports stadiums, five off-track betting facilities and two bingo halls. The director of the agency responsible for screening applicants recently said betting could start "late this fall or early this winter," perhaps in time for the NFL playoffs.

The National Harbor lounge, meanwhile, is expected to open in mid-October as a food and beverage venue — guests will be able to do everything there but place bets, until the license is approved.

BetMGM is MGM Resorts International's mobile app, which the company has already rolled out in Virginia and in and around Nationals Park in D.C. Including Virginia and the District, the app is live in 16 states.

As it has virtually every month since it debuted in December 2016, MGM National Harbor led Maryland's casinos in gaming revenue in September, generating $67.4 million, up 12.9% from a year ago. The $1.4 billion resort includes 160,000 square feet of gaming space, a 308-room hotel, a theater with seating for up to 3,000, branded retail and 50,000 square feet of meeting space.

By Michael Neibauer