The Chicago Cubs ownership is moving forward with plans for a new Wrigley Field sportsbook, located at the former Captain Morgan Club in the right-field corner of the historic ballpark.
The Captain Morgan Club has been closed for several years now and was slated for replacement in pre-COVID times as part of the 1060 Project renovations. The shift to a sportsbook was approved by Chicago governing bodies in 2021, and with the approval of a foundation permit from the city, construction of the new three-story building will commence this year.
The new building, designed by Gensler, is set for 22,350 square feet, featuring a DraftKings sportsbook and food and beverage offerings in the style of ballpark sportsbooks already in the works. The Cubs and DraftKings had officially announced in September 2020 their intentions to add a Wrigley Field sportsbook in the future, a plan delayed by COVID-19. The addition of a year-round sportsbook is part of a strategy to turn Wrigleyville into a year-round destination. We won’t see the sportsbook open until the end of the year.
Gambling in the Wrigley Field bleachers is a proud tradition of the Bleacher Bums, though as Wrigley Field has been gentrified there seems to be less of it happening. Part of the fun, of course, is the fact that it’s banned; forbidden fruit always tastes the best. There’s just something a little antiseptic about whipping out a cellphone and placing a bet than whipping out a wad of bills and laying down a bet the old-fashioned way.
Renderings courtesy Chicago Cubs and Gensler.
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