MD Gaming Commish Approves NFL Commanders’ Retail Sportsbook License

• The NFL’s Washington Commanders Are Approved to Create a Retail Sportsbook
• DC Allows Legal Mobile Sports Betting, Maryland is Retail Only
• Stadium Sportsbooks Expected to Increase in Numbers in New US Market

Great news for gambling fans of the Washington Commanders– soon you will be able to place bets right there at FedEx Field since an onsite sportsbook is in the making now that the application the team submitted to create a retail sportsbook in that stadium has been approved.

The Commanders’ home field is located in Maryland, so any sports betting activity there is subject to Free State laws, therefore applications to take retail bets there must be approved by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission, a step that the commanders have taken.

It’s perfect timing since the NFL’s 2022 season just got underway and fans of all 32 teams are anxious to put a little money on the games to make that exciting sport even more thrilling every weekend until the Super Bowl in February, a multi-billion dollar market that keeps growing.

Now Commanders fans watching games live at FedEx Field will soon be able to take advantage of the betting kiosks that will no doubt be set up in various locations in that stadium, the perfect way to put some ‘skin in the game’ and win some extra money while watching football.

Just don’t expect to be able to use your mobile devices.

DC Allows Legal Mobile Sports Betting, Maryland is Retail Only

Over thirty US states and Washington DC have already legalized sports betting for their residents, a choice made possible only once the Supreme Court overturned PASPA in May 2018 giving that right to the individual states.

Now those new legal sports betting markets are generating multi-billion dollar handles and instead of that money being sent out of state to unregulated offshore sportsbooks or illegal bookies, that money is kept in state and taxed with that revenue benefitting residents instead.

Most of those legal markets give bettors both a retail and mobile option, and in those 30+ states, the online betting market handily outperforms the in-person version, which is why the majority of those states give gamblers both options, though currently, Maryland is struggling to do just that.

As we have reported in the past, Maryland’s Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) is still busy approving mobile applications using a recent diversity plan amendment as a lens through which to find the best candidates, that online market there still just a dream.

Stadium Sportsbooks Expected to Increase in Numbers in New US Market

This upcoming stadium sportsbook deal done with the Washington Commanders is nothing new, since similar markets are being explored by the Phoenix Suns and Chicago Cubs as more and more pro teams begin to realize how lucrative having such an onsite operation can be.

Washington DC already allows for mobile sports betting for its residents so expect that fact to help Maryland hurry to catch up and legalize its own mobile market, but that process has been slow to happen and insiders there are doubtful that it will fully launch by the end of the year.

In the meantime, NFL fans will have plenty of opportunities to make exciting wagers whether online or in person depending on where you live, so be sure to check our list of states where that activity is legal as well as our list of the best sportsbook available online.