When patrons walk into Greene Turtle’s new bar and grille in Canton, CEO Geo Concepcion wants them to feel the same excitement as they would attending a Ravens game.
Part of that energy will come from Greene Turtle’s launch of sports betting at its Canton restaurant, which opened this weekend at 3803 Boston St., replacing the former On The Border.
The new Greene Turtle also serves as the company’s reintroduction to Baltimore City since the closure of their Fells Point bar in 2020.
While Greene Turtle opened its first sports bar in Ocean City in 1981, Fells Point became their second location just a few years later in 1986. Today, they have 36 locations across Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, according to the company’s website.
The return to Baltimore “feels like a long time coming,” Concepcion said.
“It’s one thing to open a restaurant, and having the sports component with our partners definitely adds some complexity to it,” he said. “But this is the way to come back into the market and we’re super proud of the way it’s come together.”
Although mobile sports wagering allows fans to place bets from their phones or at home, “we want to create an experience where people have a reason to get out of the house,” Concepcion said. He likens the experience to what one might find at a sportsbook in Las Vegas or a large casino.
Patrons will be able to wager on sporting events at a teller window or at kiosks. Greene Turtle partnered with Finest Flag Gaming and betPARX to operate the sports betting.
The company also plans to add sports wagering at its Towson location “before the end of September,” Concepcion said.
In addition to Greene Turtle’s regular menu, which Concepcion said the company has “worked really hard over the past couple of years to re-energize and reinvigorate,” they will also offer specials that are specific to the sportsbook locations, including crab cakes from Koco’s Pub.
Like other Greene Turtles, the one in Canton will show sports games and commentary programs on television screens so fans can stay up-to-date with their favorite teams, players, and sports personalities.
“Canton will be by far the highest traffic Greene Turtle location in the system,” said Concepcion, adding that traffic from the nearby Target store and residential developments make it a prime spot for launching sports betting.
Expansion of sports betting to other Greene Turtle locations will depend on licensing, Concepcion said, but the prospect is on the table.
“We think these are going to be very successful. And if in the future that became a possibility, we’d be open to it,” he said.
Nearly one-quarter of Marylanders said they will participate in sports betting over the next year, according to results of a Goucher College poll released in May 2023.
Sports wagering has garnered more interest among young Marylanders, with 37% of 18- to 34-year-olds saying they would likely place a bet on sports over the next year. That’s compared to 23% of 35- to 55-year-olds, and 12% of respondents aged 55 and older, according to the Goucher Poll.
Concepcion said he expects public interest in sports betting to increase, and that its growing popularity will be fueled by millennials and Gen Z looking for new ways to experience their favorite athletic games.
“I think sports betting will be as common as enjoying a sports event,” he said. “I do think that it’ll certainly just become part of the regular fabric of enjoying sports.”
With sports betting, the Canton location will be “the next in line of the evolved Turtles that we’ve been building since 2020,” Concepcion said.
“What we’re trying to do here is create a high-energy atmosphere and take all the things we’ve learned in building the new Greene Turtles and and the new Greene Turtle experience and give folks something that’s going to be exciting for the next 50 years of Turtles in Maryland.”
