Washington Redskins Owner Wants Gambling License For New Stadium

Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder is lobbying Maryland lawmakers to allow gambling at his team’s eventual new stadium.

According to a report from the Washington Post, Snyder requested three separate meetings with lawmakers in Annapolis and told them that obtaining a gambling license from the state was the focal point of his plan for a new stadium.

The Redskins currently play their games at FedEx field, a stadium in Maryland just outside Washington D.C. The current lease will keep the team there through the 2027 season, but after that Snyder has plans of building a new stadium in either Maryland or Virginia with a vision of turning it into a year-round destination.

The billionaire envisions the next stadium as a destination that will have hotels, offices, and clearly some form of gambling.

According to the article, lawmakers said that Snyder promised to fund the construction of the stadium completely on his own, without the help of taxpayer dollars, in exchange for help obtaining the gambling license.

The three other major sports franchises in the nation’s capital all have stadiums inside the borders of Washington D.C., where sports betting is legal. Capital One Arena, home of the Wizards and Capitals, announced a partnership with William Hill that will likely make it the first arena with a functional sportsbook.

It’s likely that Snyder wants to be able to have similar functions at his next stadium.

Maryland and Virginia, the two states where Snyder is eyeing a new home, have not legalized sports betting, however. The Maryland General Assembly has considered expanding its gambling industry to include sports betting, but it would require a constitutional referendum and a vote by the public.

Virginia pre-filed legislation to legalize sports betting last November. It’s likely that both states will have legal sports betting by the time Syder’s current lease at FedEx field is up in 2027.

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