Muirfield Village Golf Club Retail Sportsbook Will Not Be On Club Grounds

Written By Mike Breen on February 17, 2023
Muirfield Village Retail Sportsbook Ohio Sports Betting

Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, which annually hosts the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament, will not be opening a retail sportsbook on club grounds.

Last year, Muirfield Village Golf Club became one of the first businesses to be granted a retail sportsbook license by the Ohio Casino Commission Control.

But Dan Sullivan, executive director of the Memorial Tournament, tells PlayOhio plans for the retail sportsbook are still up in the air.

Ohio sports betting went live on Jan. 1. Since then, over a dozen retail sportsbooks have opened at Ohio casinos, racinos and sports stadiums. Several more locations, like Muirfield Village, are still working through plans for things like partnerships or physical locations.

One thing is for certain, Sullivan says: The retail sportsbook will not be on the Muirfield Village Golf Club’s premises.

“There are no plans to establish a retail sportsbook on Muirfield Village Golf Club property,” Sullivan says. “We continue to work through a consideration process regarding the location of a retail sportsbook.”

Muirfield Village retail sports betting partner yet to be determined

More than a dozen businesses have so far been granted retail sportsbook licenses by the OCCC.

Retail sportsbook license holders range from Ohio’s professional sports teams to casino/racino properties to locations like Canton’s Pro Football Hall of Fame and sports-focused high school SPIRE Academy.

Most businesses awarded retail sportsbook licenses had sports betting partnerships locked down when they were granted approval from the OCCC. Hollywood-branded casino/racino properties, for example, have a partnership with Barstool Sportsbook, while the Cleveland Cavaliers are partnered with Caesars Sportsbook.

But a few licensed businesses, including Muirfield Village Golf Club, have yet to announce sports betting partners.

Sullivan says Muirfield Village Golf Club is actively searching for a partner, but, like the retail sportsbook’s location, it has yet to be determined.

“We are working through a RFP process at this time and will determine a going forward plan in the future,” Sullivan says. “We do not have an established timeline currently.”

BetPARX Sportsbook sponsors Memorial Tournament in Ohio

Muirfield Village Golf Club is also the market access partner of the betPARX online sportsbook, which this week became the 17th sportsbook app to launch in Ohio.

Last spring, betPARX Sportsbook became an official betting operator of the PGA Tour.

For the second year in a row, betPARX Sportsbook is the exclusive mobile sports betting sponsor of the Memorial Tournament, which is set to take place this year May 29-June 4 at Muirfield Village.

In a press release announcing betPARX Sportsbook’s Ohio launch, Sullivan said:

“We are thrilled to align with betPARX and to provide sports fans throughout the State of Ohio the opportunity to download the betPARX app and start placing bets on all sports. betPARX, the Memorial and the PGA TOUR have worked within the guidelines set by the Ohio Casino Control Commission to provide a safe, secure and enjoyable betting platform. And the betPARX app will provide Memorial fans and patrons a new experience when the top players compete during the week of May 29th.”

Muirfield Village Golf Club has a rich history

Located 20 minutes from downtown Columbus, Muirfield Village Golf Club and the Memorial Tournament are the brainchildren of golfing icon (and Ohio native) Jack Nicklaus.

Muirfield Village is named after Muirfield, Scotland, where Nicklaus won his first Open Championship in 1966, completing the first of Nicklaus’ three career grand slam titles.

Right around that time, a young Nicklaus began developing his vision of bringing a PGA Tour-worthy golf course to his home state. In 1967, Nicklaus began purchasing the land for the course, which he also designed. Muirfield Village Golf Club opened in 1974.

In 1976, Muirfield Village hosted the first Memorial Tournament, which, according to the event’s website, was named “to honor the memory of individuals living and deceased who have distinguished themselves in the game of golf.”

The Memorial has been won by the likes of Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Fred Couples and Tiger Woods, who is a five-time Memorial champ.

Besides hosting the Memorial every year since 1976, Muirfield Village has hosted several other prestigious golf events. It is the only course in the world to have hosted the Ryder Cup, the Solheim Cup and the Presidents Cup.

In Golf Digest’s most recent list of America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses, Muirfield Village ranked 15th.

Franklin County allotment of retail sportsbooks maxed out

Ohio’s sports betting law puts a cap on how many retail sportsbook licenses can be awarded based on the population size of the county in which the business is located.

Ohio’s three largest counties — Franklin, Cuyahoga and Hamilton — are allowed five retail sportsbook licenses.

Muirfield Village Golf Club is one of the five businesses licensed to operate a retail sportsbook in Franklin County, joining Scioto Downs, Columbus Blue Jackets, Columbus Crew and Hollywood Casino Columbus.

Photo by AP / Tony Dejak
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Mike Breen

Mike Breen covers Ohio’s budding sports betting industry for PlayOhio, focusing on online sportsbooks and the state’s responsible gambling initiatives. He has over two decades of experience covering sports, news, music, arts and culture in Ohio.

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