We now know what’s moving into the closed Bally’s sportsbook: Arcade. Not “an arcade.” Arcade. That’s the name of the thing that’s replacing the Bally’s sportsbook. Naming things is hard.

Technically, the venue is named Arcade at Horseshoe Las Vegas.

Bally’s is transitioning.

In lieu of a rendering.

Back in June, we shared the news the sportsbook at Bally’s had been walled off.

Rumors were the space would get a Dave & Buster’s, but it turns out it’s a Dave & Buster’s-style venue.

You know, a video arcade.

“The Arcade will welcome all ages and open the door for a broader audience,” says Jason Gregorec, Senior V.P. and General Manager of Bally’s.

The statement actually had “Arcade” in all caps, but we don’t participate in such stylistic affectation, sorry.

The 7,000-square-foot Arcade, near Bally’s food court, will offer “more than 80 games, from classic arcade favorites to the latest releases.”

From the official announcement, “Designed by Aria Group, the attraction’s interior draws inspiration from urban night settings featuring a variety of colorful artwork and bright neon lights.”

While the announcement of an arcade should be accompanied by a sad trombone, there’s some good news: The sportsbook’s bar is staying, and will be “refreshed.”

Farewell, a place we didn’t go to very often because sports are dumb unless at some point we need to like sports to be on a sports broadcast of some kind. In which case we are noted sports experts.

So, what are sports fans to do with their sports wagers?

Bally’s slipped this line into the news release:

“Sports fans can still enjoy best-in-class sports wagering via the Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill app and at the new Caesars Sportsbook ticket counter coming to Horseshoe Las Vegas.”

That sad trombone sure is getting a workout!

The reality is sportsbooks can take up a lot of space and don’t make money for casinos. They’re an amenity (like spas and poker rooms), and it’s telling Bally’s is swapping out a sportsbook for a family-friendly venue with arcade games.

Caesars Entertainment, the owner of Bally’s/Horseshoe, is following the money, and while an arcade replacing a sportsbook may be disappointing to some, the bottom line is it’s a smart business decision. The simple fact is an arcade will generate more profit than a sportsbook.

As long as the kids are as far away from the casino as possible. Which is where Arcade will be.

We’ve often shared the awkward fact arcades inside casinos have a lot of similarities to, you know, casinos. Here’s why.

Arcades have long been a feature of local casinos, a place for gamblers to leave their kids while they hit the tables and slot machines.

The Duomo, at Rio (also owned by Caesars Entertainment), recently opened. It’s a theater, bar, and restaurant, but also has an arcade attached.

If Vegas tries to be a family-friendly destination again, we’re out.

Weird choices, but then again, we aren’t a big fan of people bringing kids to Las Vegas.

A survey by the LVCVA showed that 21% of people brought kids to Las Vegas in 2021, compared to just 5% in 2019. This is one of those stats for which the initialism “WTF” was invented.

Arcade opens at Bally’s/Horseshoe in the fall of 2022.

In far more exciting news, Horseshoe will have lots of other shiny, new things we anticipate actually patronizing.

There’s the recently-opened Jack Binion’s Steak (in the former BLT Steak space), M.Y. Asia restaurant from celebrity chef Martin Yan and, outside, Ole Red, a restaurant and live music venue from celebrity chef Chef Blake Shelton.

We were just making sure you’re still paying attention.

There’s a lot more in store as Bally’s becomes Horseshoe, so check our site hourly for updates. We won’t have hourly updates, but it’s not like you have anything better to do.