When Parx Casino opened a suburban Philadelphia sportsbook/racebook at a new sports bar of the popular Chickie's & Pete's restaurant chain nearly two years ago, officials touted it as the dawn of a new retail era for Pennsylvania sports bettors.
Without the logistical hassle of getting to a casino, and with a better atmosphere than the musty off-track betting parlors of old, customers could get down a bet on a game or race at a counter or kiosk.
Legal sports betting was possible within a section of the restaurant beyond a security checkpoint, mere footsteps away from where the bettors could watch a televised game or race while enjoying food and drink, perhaps even with family in tow.
“This is what we see as the future,” said Joe Wilson, chief operating officer of Parx Racing, before the racetrack-casino's Parx Malvern location opened in February 2022. “Chickie's & Pete's has a great customer base, a sports bar with great food. … It's just a perfect marriage of sports, good food and drink, and horse racing.”