Are there Sportsbooks in any NFL Stadiums?

Sports betting has skyrocketed in popularity over the past 5 years, and one of the biggest reasons is the convenience of placing bets. A bettor can place a bet from virtually anywhere when in a state where online sports betting is legal. However, until the past year the NFL had maintained resistance against the concept of having physical sportsbooks inside of NFL stadiums. Early in 2023, that view changed. 

Last March at the annual owners meetings in Arizona, NFL owners voted to allow physical sportsbooks to operate within NFL stadiums. Since the start of the 2023 season, teams in legal betting states that meet certain criteria have been permitted to open sportsbooks within their stadiums.

So which teams have been able to get in-stadium sportsbooks up and running? The answers may surprise you.

Sports betting in NFL stadiums 

Washington Commanders

The first sportsbook to be opened within the walls of an NFL stadium was the Fanatics Sportsbook at Washington Commanders’ FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. The sportsbook features 8 betting windows and 21 self-serve kiosks. Fans can place bets, watch the game on 38 high-definition TVs, and enjoy food and drink at Fanatics Sportsbook. It’s worth noting that there are no views of the field from the sportsbook, so televisions are the only way to watch the game action. 

The Commanders are the only NFL team so far to have a physical sportsbook within their stadium. Some other teams such as the Arizona Cardinals and both the New York Giants and Jets have sportsbooks right outside the gates of their respective stadiums. BetMGM Sportsbook is located next to State Farm Stadium, home of the Cardinals. The Jets’ and Giants’ Metlife Stadium in New Jersey does not have a sportsbook in the stadium, but the Meadowlands Racetrack next door is home to FanDuel Sportsbook.

With the league allowing sportsbooks to be opened in NFL stadiums, it’s expected that more may be opening in the years ahead in legal states. 

Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas, home of the Raiders, is known as the betting capital of the world. It only makes sense that they would have a sportsbook in Allegiant Stadium, right? Wrong, actually. In-venue sportsbooks are prohibited in Nevada, therefore Allegiant Stadium does not have a sportsbook inside the stadium. They do have a MGM betting lounge inside where fans can place bets from their mobile phones (as is the case from their seats in the stadium too), but not a physical sportsbook with betting windows or kiosks.

Super Bowl LVIII is being played this Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. For fans who want to bet on the Big Game, they must register in-person at a sportsbook in Las Vegas for mobile betting apps. After doing so, they will be able to bet while inside the stadium. This applies for all Raiders home games as well. 

Rules for betting in NFL stadiums 

As of last year, sportsbooks inside stadiums can be open on game days. Before the owners’ vote, sportsbooks were not able to operate in stadiums. 

Because not every NFL stadium is located in states that allow legal sports betting, there are concerns about league-wide fairness when it comes to new revenues for some teams from in-stadium sportsbooks. According to a report by The Athletic, roughly 17 franchises will be allowed to have on-premise sportsbooks in the future, and those teams will only be able to keep about $20 million in revenue before sharing with other NFL teams.

Just like other forms of sports betting, bettors must be at least 21 years of age to place bets inside these stadium sportsbooks.

Sportsbooks in other sports stadiums in the U.S.

NBA

There are currently 3 teams in the NBA that have sportsbooks within their arenas:

• The Cleveland Cavaliers opened a Caesars Sportsbook at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in January 2023. You can access the sportsbook from the arena, however you do not need a ticket to an event to enter.

• The Phoenix Suns and FanDuel partnered to open a sportsbook in the Footprint Center. The sportsbook opened up in September 2021.

• Capital One Arena is home to the Washington Wizards and now Caesars Sportsbook. It opened in May 2021 and was the first sportsbook in a professional sports facility in the U.S.

It is also worth noting that the Chicago Bulls have a FanDuel Sportsbook Lounge in the United Center but it is more similar to the “betting lounge” at the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium in that it is not a physical sportsbook with betting windows and kiosks for placing wagers. 

NHL

• As mentioned, Capital One Arena, which is also the home of the Washington Capitals, has a Caesars Sportsbook inside the gates. It has 17 betting windows and 12 self-service kiosks. 

• 
  It is not quite inside the arena, but the Columbus Blue Jackets just partnered with Fanatics Sportsbook to open a location outside Nationwide Arena.

MLB

The MLB currently has three teams that have sportsbooks in their ballparks:

• Sticking to the Washington theme, the Nationals partnered with BetMGM in 2021 to bring sports betting in Nationals Park.

• The Arizona Diamondbacks and Caesars Sportsbook created a sportsbook at Chase Field back in 2022. It features nine betting windows and 13 kiosks.

• In 2023, the Chicago Cubs opened a DraftKings Sportsbook in Wrigley Field, the newest MLB stadium sportsbook.

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References

Dewey, T. (2023, March 29). NFL votes to allow stadium sportsbooks to be open on game days. Las Vegas Review-Journal. https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/betting/nfl-votes-to-allow-stadium-sportsbooks-to-be-open-on-game-days-2752227/

Parry, W. (2022, February 2). Pro teams bring betting to the game with stadium sportsbooks. AP News. Pro teams bring betting to the game with stadium sportsbooks | AP News

NFL owners vote to allow sportsbooks in stadiums on game days: Sources - The Athletic