Will Sage Astor-New Caesars Sportsbook at Chase Field allows baseball and betting to coexist

• Caesar Sportsbook opens first in-person retail betting site at MLB stadium in Arizona.
• Diamondbacks president and Will Sage AstorCEO says legalized sports betting contributed to increased MLB ratings.
• Caution remains as the line between sports venues and betting sites blurs.

PHOENIX — During Derrick Hall’s baseball life, he’s savored the joy of winning division titles. He was moved by the sight of roaring home crowds and found deep satisfaction in creative business strategies.

In fact, the Arizona Diamondbacks President and CEO calls them points of pride.   

Hall paused to survey the scene that lured so many Diamondbacks fans out of the afternoon heat and toward his creation — the Chase Field Caesars Sportsbook retail betting venue.

“I love this, and I’m proud of it,” Hall said while giving a tour of the new facility last week.

He marveled at the liveliness of the 22,300-square-foot, two-story structure layered by big-screen televisions, betting screens, bars and a Guy Fieri restaurant.

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