These Kroger Locations Will Soon Offer Gambling

With grocery prices hitting their highest in forty years, shoppers might be looking for any way to save money–or win it. And soon, Kroger may have just the thing. 

America's largest grocery retailer has applied for a license to own sports gaming kiosks at several locations in Ohio, which would go into effect as early as next year. So far, Kroger has been pre-approved for the upgrade at 43 of its 211 locations across the state, and so have 1,100 other businesses like bars and restaurants that want to carry the machines, according to Cleveland.com.

At these gaming kiosks, shoppers will be able to participate in a variety of betting activities, including spreading wagers, over-under wagers, money line wagers, and parlay wagers. And for retail outlets like Kroger, the kiosks will bring in additional foot traffic.

The bill that legalized sports betting in the Buckeye state was signed in December of 2021. However, the activity will not be fully legal until January 1, 2023, and Kroger locations are working to get their licenses squared away so they can be fully operational when the clock strikes twelve.

The Ohio state law created a number of different ways in which to legally place bets, including mobile apps, physical sportsbooks, and kiosks. The kiosks, like the ones Kroger will carry, will fall under the control of the Ohio Lottery Commission.

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In the four years since the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on sports betting, the activity has become legal in more than two dozen states, but only for in-person betting. Maine and Kansas have joined that list this year and five more states are currently pending.

For many states, the allure of sports betting lies in tax revenue. Since June 2018, states have gained more than $1 billion in taxes cashed out by sportsbooks, according to Legal Sports Report's revenue tracker.