After two-and-a-half years in development, Bankroll, a mobile sports betting and entertainment venue with a restaurant, will open in the former home of the Boyd Theatre in Center City on Friday, reports the Philadelphia Business Journal.
The roughly $25 million, highly anticipated concept, first announced in August 2020, aims to provide a luxury viewing experience that you can't get at standing room only sports bars, according to CEO Padma Rao.
“We want a place for you to go and you feel comfortable in an environment that's like, you're not bumping into each other, somebody is not spilling a beer on you, you're not standing in a line,” Rao said. “You can sign up to be in a situation where you are sheltered from all that but still having the viewing experience that you want.”
Bankroll encompasses 13,000 square feet of the 1920s art deco-style theater space at 1910 Chestnut St. and the shuttered Gap Outlet at 1912-1918 Chestnut St. in Rittenhouse Square. The buildings are owned by Pearl Properties. Across its six open, semi-private and private rooms, Bankroll venue sits between 350 and 400 people. It currently has around 160 workers but will employ upwards of 300 at full capacity, Rao estimates.
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Check out the full story on PBJ.com to hear Rao's thoughts on the "lively and elevated" venue and to see photos showing what it looks like inside.
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