The Cubs and DraftKings are extending their partnership to include a retail sportsbook in the area surrounding Wrigley Field.

It’s the first such partnership with a Major League Baseball team and as part of the deal, DraftKings can build the sportsbook within a five-block radius of Wrigley Field.

“An increasing number of sports fans want to integrate sports betting into their game experience and we’re excited to be one of the first to engage in developing a retail sportsbook at a professional sports venue,” Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney said in a statement.

“We’re really excited to be partnering up with the Cubs as the official sportsbook provider,” said Matt Kalish, the co-founder and president of DraftKings North America. “We are very, very excited about the influence that the Cubs deal will have in the Chicago area and in Illinois.”

The first step will be for DraftKings to identify a location in the Wrigleyville area and then get approval with the Illinois Gaming Board as well as city and state regulators. There is no current timeline, but DraftKings is not in a rush and wants to build a brand new sportsbook that stands out.

“By revenue, it should be one of the biggest books in the country,” Kalish said. “It’s in an amazing location — downtown Chicago, one of the most populated areas in the country and I think it will be a tremendous destination.

“We’re gonna make sure we do it right, that it’s a flagship example of a DraftKings sportsbook. I think just the potential of where it’s located creates a tremendous opportunity for it to be the largest in the country.”

Kalish and DraftKings envision a great destination for fans at any time of year, but especially during Cubs games at Wrigley Field.

“I think it will be a very organic part of the experience,” Kalish said. “You head in for a Cubs game, you can stop by the DraftKings sportsbook, grab some drinks and food with your friends, put in a couple bets for the game. You can bet the Cubs to win, over the run total, who’s gonna hit the first home run or pick from dozens of props from the game.

“When game time comes up, walk up to the stadium, cheer on the Cubs, sweat your bets that you made and on the way home, cash your tickets at the book. So I think it can be a very natural extension of the experience that people are already having when they go to Wrigley Field.”