By the time football season begins again in the U.S., sports wagerers can expect to be welcomed at sports betting lounges located in NFL stadiums.
The National Football League, which for years resisted legal sports betting, has seen reason to capitulate. In May 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which had outlawed the bets in most states since the 1990s. Since then, 14 states have climbed onto the sports betting bandwagon, and more are waiting in the wings. The NFL has signaled its clear approval of the new industry by opening its stadiums to sports betting lounges.
According to Sports Business Journal, only teams with legal sports betting in their state can sign such sponsorships, and only with licenses casinos or sportsbooks. Casino sponsors of teams will be allowed to use team logos in their advertising and marketing.
As for the lounges, they won’t accept bets, but can sign up customers, and will offer designated areas for mobile betting.
The lack of betting windows was “a key point of focus from our committee of owners, and also in our fan research broadly,” Chris Halpin, the NFL’s VP of strategy and growth, told Yahoo Finance. “We didn’t want betting windows or kiosks or signups in the broader concourse where all fans are exposed to it, including underage fans but also fans who are not interested in betting and don’t want to be overwhelmed by it. Relative to our brand, having it within lounges or on mobile is the right way to do it, and it’s also really where the market’s going. That’s the approach we feel comfortable with.”
