NFL stadium sportsbooks will take bets on game days as early as next season, LSR confirmed Tuesday.
Team owners voted to allow NFL stadium sportsbooks to take bets on gamedays, during a league meeting on Monday, according to multiple league sources. The change, first reported by The Athletic, is set to take effect for the 2023 season.
The Washington Commanders are the only NFL franchise with a physical sportsbook on stadium premises. Beyond that, the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants and New York Jets have ones located just outside their gates.
Fanatics, Washington set to take first gameday bets
Fanatics only opened up its sportsbook at FedEx Field in January, about a month after the Commanders’ final game of the season. The change presumably sets Washington up to become the first team to take bets during games.
The rule change could lead to teams like the Cleveland Browns pivoting plans away from betting lounges and towards on-site NFL stadium sportsbooks.
NFL stadium sportsbook revenue to be split
Not all teams can take advantage of the change though, as only 18 franchises exist in states with legal in-person sports betting. Locating sportsbooks outside of stadiums has allowed teams like the Cardinals to avoid splitting gaming revenue with other teams under the league’s gate revenue-sharing agreement.
According to The Athletic report, local teams will be able to keep roughly the first $20 million in gaming revenue, before having to pool the excess with other teams.
In two months of operations, Fanatics Sportsbook made roughly $45,000 in revenue, according to the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Association.
LSR reporter Mike Mazzeo contributed to this story.
