D.C.’s First Sportsbook Expands to H Street With Pastries in Tow

Building upon the success of its pioneering gambling headquarters in Adams Morgan, Grand Central doubles down on D.C. bets with the opening of a second sportsbook across town on Friday, March 8.

Grand Central Sportsbook & Cafe (625 H Street NE) slides into the old Rice Bar space with four kiosks accepting bets from an on-site ticket window. Open daily from noon to 9 p.m. to start, with expanded hours for big games like NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament this month.

The Adams Morgan original, around since 2007, took the title of D.C.’s very first sports-betting bar in 2021. The go-to spot for Buffalo Bills fans offers hot wings, burgers, and upstate favorites like beef on weck sandwiches and marinated skewers of Spiede chicken, with 21 TVs and DirecTV packages for major sports leagues.

On H Street, woman-owned Tissy Sweets Bakery gives gamblers a sugar rush with an assortment of cupcakes, dessert cups, and cakes by the slice. Tissy Sweets fills a pastry hole left on the Northeast strip after Sticky Fingers diner closed last month. A portion of proceeds go towards owner Tissy Sweets’s Spotlight program, which provides dessert classes and other support to local children with special needs.

Along with sweets, the new Grand Central Sportsbook & Cafe also offers grab-and-go sandwiches, packaged meats, and charcuterie from Boar’s Head, chips, bottled sodas, sports, and energy drinks. The latest location won’t activate its ability to sell booze just yet.

“We kind of want to get our feet wet in the neighborhood, make sure everything is operating correctly, then maybe in six months we’ll start selling beer and wine for carryout,” says owner Brian Vasile.

Grand Central LLC is now the city’s only independently owned and operated establishment with two sports-betting licenses granted by D.C.’s Office of Lottery and Gaming. Its full-service “Class B” sportsbook status means there’s less restrictions on maximum bets, so that all ticket winnings — regardless of amount — can be redeemed right then and there. There’s also a trio of District of Skill games on-site.

Betting technology is provided by global gaming company Elys Game, and all revenue acquired from sports gambling is taxed at 10 percent.