CLEVELAND — As the annual meeting of NFL owners wrapped up Tuesday in Arizona, they reportedly voted to allow in-person game day sports betting at sportsbooks that are located in NFL stadiums, according to the sports website The Athletic.
“Just think about where we were in 2018 after PASBA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992) was overturned,” said Robert Linnehan, a sports betting writer for XL Media, about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that opened the door to sports betting in states outside of Nevada. “I mean, the NFL couldn't distance itself farther from sports betting and wanted nothing to do with sports betting and now it's gigantic money for the NFL."
Since the 2018 ruling, sports betting has become live and legal in 33 states and the District of Columbia. Ohio joined the fold when its operations went live on New Year's Day.
When sports betting was approved in Ohio, the first priority for both online and physical sports books was given to the state's casinos, racinos and sports teams. The Cleveland Browns got a license to open a sportsbook in First Energy stadium, but the Cincinnati Bengals did not — a move that caught the Ohio Casino Control Commission by surprise, pressing the Bengals' legal counsel on it.
"As it currently stands, the NFL does not allow in-person sports betting at any stadium,” said Bengals Counsel Emma Compton at the September hearing. “So BetFred and the team chose not to pursue a Type B license because of this."
That prompted the obvious question from the commission chair: "But you can bet on a mobile phone sitting there, but you just can't bet (in person)?”
“Correct,” Compton answered. “There can be no live, in-person sports betting at a stadium."
That disparity was seen in the breakdown of the first month of sports betting in Ohio, where roughly 98% of all bets were placed online, most through mobile apps on phones.
Each league has its own rules. Te Caesars Sports Book at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is a clear indication that the NBA allows physical sports books in their arenas that can be open on game days. Major League Baseball, though, is kind of in the same boat as the NFL. Their rules presently allow for sports books that can be attached to stadiums; they just can't open up to the ticketed areas.
The Browns and Guardians are both planning physical sports books, but have yet to reveal their locations. The Guardians told News 5 in January they will have something just outside the stadium where bets can be placed starting opening day.
“I think it’s only going to evolve from here as it becomes more and more commonplace and those dollar signs keep adding up every year,” Linnehan said.
