A months-long wait for the start of the 2023 NFL season ends this week. The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (-6.5 at most mobile sportsbooks) host the Detroit Lions Thursday night in the NFL season opener.
For fans, the return of the NFL season is reason to rejoice. It’s also time for celebration by legal sports betting operators, which rely heavily on football season for revenue.
During the countdown to Thursday’s opener and the full slate of games on Sunday, Sports Handle is tracking all of the major football-related news surrounding the betting industry through a series of daily live blogs.
Monday (3 p.m.): DraftKings RG Pool
For the month of September, which is responsible gambling awareness month, DraftKings is running a “responsible gaming education month pool.” The pool includes eight questions that customers can answer at any time in September. It only takes about a minute to complete the pool questions.
Monday (9 a.m.): Fanatics Jersey Drop
Fanatics Betting and Gaming is leveraging Fanatics Commerce’s merchandising experience to offer fans a special promotion for the start of the NFL season. New customers who sign up for Fanatics Sportsbook or PointsBet at any point through Sept. 18 and opt into the “Fanatics Jersey Drop” promotion are eligible to receive a reward credit to purchase team merchandise up to $150.
To take advantage of the offer, bettors need to place a single cash wager of $50 or more on any market with minimum odds of -500. The bet can be placed on any sport, and the reward credit will be sent to customers via email within three days of the bet being settled.
The promotion doesn’t work if a user cashes out their wager.
Saturday (11 a.m.): New Maryland sportsbook
The Maryland Lottery announced that FanDuel’s retail sportsbook at Sports & Social in North Bethesda has opened. The retail sportsbook is the 12th operating in Maryland, which is also home to 12 mobile sportsbooks. The FanDuel sportsbook retail launch comes just in time for football season.
Maryland is one of two states with a retail sportsbook at an NFL stadium, with the Fanatics Sportsbook at FedEx Field having opened last year. The BetMGM Sportsbook at State Farm Field, home of the Arizona Cardinals, is the other retail sportsbook located on NFL stadium grounds.
Friday (10 a.m.): New Uwazurike charge
The Des Moines Register reported that Denver Broncos defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike, who played his college football at Iowa State, has been charged with identity theft. Uwazurike was also previously charged with tampering with records, as state officials work through their investigation of wagering violations at Iowa State.
Uwazurike pled not guilty to both charges, according to the report. He has been indefinitely suspended by the NFL since July.
