An NFL First For The 2023-2024 Season: Washington Commanders Open Season With The League's Only (For Now) In-Stadium Wagering

The Sept. 7 launch of the NFL regular season brings with it anticipation from fans around the world. 

They purchase tickets, search for new player jerseys, join fantasy leagues, and for the first time, they can place bets inside an NFL stadium. The Washington Commanders opened the first betting area in an NFL stadium to coincide with the team's first home game of the 2023-2024 season. 

Trending: NFL Betting Odds Right Now

NFL Further Integrates Betting With The Fan Experience

Opening an in-stadium book reflects the growing acceptance of sports betting and daily fantasy sports action for NFL team ownership and the fan base's continual calls for sports betting opportunities. Fanatics, a popular sports apparel company, runs the book. 

Fanatics paid an operating fee to the Washington Commanders through a license it obtained from Maryland. It runs the sports book during Commanders' home games. Under NFL rules, teams do not receive a cut of the wagered funds but instead pool fees from betting operators, which become league revenue. The league divides the revenue among the players. 

The 5,000-square-foot space at FedExField features 21 self-service betting kiosks and numerous screens to watch NFL action. The doors opened two hours before the game, with only patrons ages 21 and older admitted, per state gambling regulations. The Commanders also saw success on the field, beating the Arizona Cardinals 20 to 16. But they didn't cover the -7 spread on the game as significant favorites against the woeful Cardinals squad. 

Supreme Court Opens The Way For Betting

The NFL's move toward accepting sports betting partnerships began after a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that struck down a 1992 federal law banning sports betting in states other than Nevada and New Jersey. The ruling opened the door for the massive expansion of legal betting, which brought fast efforts from operators like FanDuel and DraftKings to offer sports betting to a growing number of states' residents. The NFL's deal with those operators and others like Caesars Entertainment Inc., owner of Vegas hotels such as Caesars Palace and the Flamingo, is worth a reported $1 billion over five years, providing the NFL with a valuable and sustainable additional revenue stream. 

While the NFL wants its fans to participate in legal sports betting through partners like DraftKings and FanDuel, it still has strict prohibitions for football players. Its longstanding policy prohibits players from gambling, especially on NFL games, even if the player is not participating in the contest. 

The NFL continues to balance the revenue potential and appeal of sports betting with the need to preserve the game's integrity and not allow players to potentially impact the results of games to meet certain wager outcomes. The NFL differs from other sports such as Major League Baseball by banning wagering action on all sports, not just NFL games.