OPINION: In-Stadium NFL Sportsbooks Should Open on Gamedays

• NFL owners will hold a vote to decide if in-stadium sportsbooks should remain open on gameday.
• The NFL currently allows for sportsbooks to operate in stadiums, just not on game days.
• The Washington Commanders opened the first sportsbook located inside an NFL stadium earlier this year.

LAS VEGAS – The NFL finally embraced sports gambling when Caesars Entertainment became their first casino sponsor back in 2019. Fast forward to 2023, and NFL owners are voting on whether NFL stadium sportsbooks should be open on game days.

The NFL and many of its teams have partnered with legal sports betting companies, but there are only a handful that have sportsbooks at the stadium.

The Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, and New York Jets have casinos outside of their stadium but in close proximity. The fact that these sportsbooks are not “in-stadium” allow fans to bet on their teams on game day.

The 32 NFL owners are meeting to vote and decide whether this rule should change, permitting sports wagers to be placed on game day for sportsbooks physically located inside the stadium. As NFL policy currently stands, in-stadium sportsbooks must be closed on game day.

The Washington Commanders are the only NFL team with a brick-and-mortar sportsbook location inside their stadium. The development of an in-stadium sportsbook came shortly after the introduction of legal Maryland sports betting.

Many fans in attendance at the games likely bet on their phones, so stadiums are missing out on gambling revenue that’s going to mobile betting services.

The NFL owners likely will vote to overturn the rule that prohibits in-stadium sportsbooks from remaining open on game day. It may not be unanimous because of many teams not having regulated sports betting in their state. However, if the rule is overturned, it’s expected that excessive revenue from one team will be pooled and distributed to the other 31 teams.

The decision to overturn the NFL policy would result in a major revenue opportunity for all of the participating teams. Although the Commanders are currently the only team with an in-stadium sportsbook, a vote in favor of a rule change would likely influence teams to build their own in-stadium casinos.

Nearly 50 million Americans bet on the NFL. The owners like money and in-stadium gambling provides that opportunity.

News tags: Arizona Cardinals | Caesars Entertainment | New York Giants | New York Jets | NFL | Washington Commanders