Colorado residents love pickleball as much as anyone else. If you need more proof, look no further than the Denver suburb of Wheat Ridge.
Colorado’s largest indoor pickleball complex will soon replace the vacant Lucky’s Market at the busy intersection of Wadsworth Boulevard and 38th Avenue. The brand new 3rd Shot Pickleball – named after the importance of the third shot in a pickleball point – will consist of 13 indoor courts inside the 35,000-square-foot building.
The all-ages facility will feature a kitchen offering pretzels, pizza, chips and salsa, mocktails, smoothies, and shakes. There will also be a full bar for those of legal drinking age.
Neighbors assured that noise won’t be a problem
With 26 online sportsbooks available to Colorado players, Colorado online sports betting is thriving. And some of the sportsbooks may soon take wagers on pickleball, especially as the sport continues to rise in popularity across the country.
The local duo of Max Ireland and Adam Kahn are behind the project. Ireland has a hospitality and restaurant management background. Kahn previously owned the Meadow Creek Tennis & Fitness Club, just four miles down the road.
The two looked at a dozen possible locations before finding the perfect building, citing high ceilings and ample space to accommodate multiple courts. Now, they are investing nearly $1 million into the project. They are banking that the complex will become a big part of the community moving forward.
3rd Shot Pickleball plans to operate daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., with memberships, leagues, clinics, and lessons available.
Furthermore, the indoor venue solves a problem that has arisen with pickleball’s popularity. Noise from the paddles and balls has caused Centennial and Denver to take action.
Steve Art, Wheat Ridge’s economic development manager, confirmed the noise concerns would be a non-issue, saying nearby residents and business owners would not be bothered by the game’s sounds.
Competition is already coming
Upon opening, 3rd Shot Pickleball will be the second pickleball complex in the Denver area.
The eight-court Pickleball Food Pub opened last year in Westminster, a neighboring suburb. Additional plans are in the works for similar businesses in Centennial, Thornton, and Parker.
Ireland and Kahn said they are proud of having a locally-owned pickleball complex.
With the game’s popularity throughout Denver, all signs point to its success. The demand is there.
Pickleball sports betting soon to come?
Coloradans like to bet on sports more than other states with larger populations. Just look at how CO bettors can’t quit betting on table tennis. Like the state has embraced pickleball, it needs to consider embracing the quick of table tennis.
While no sportsbooks offer pickleball, DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello mentioned it as an option back in 2021.
Momentum started to trend toward pickleball sports betting in 2021 when the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) partnered with Genius Sports to facilitate regulated sports betting on PPA events and continue growing the sport worldwide. DraftKings and Genius Sports also inked a partnership that year.
It’s not uncommon for these deals to take some time before coming to fruition. The PPA Tour continues to increase its footprint, soon to be broadcast on networks like ESPN and CBS Sports.
Soon enough, we’ll be able to bet on the matches we’re watching just like any other sport.
