Buffalo Wild Wings is looking to add sports betting to its menu.
The next time you head to Buffalo Wild Wings to drink beer and eat food while watching your favorite sports team battle it out on the football field or baseball diamond, you may have the chance to win a few extra bucks – or lose them.
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According to ESPN, the popular sports bar and grill, which operates in all 50 states and internationally, is looking to add sports betting to its restaurants in the United States, potentially bringing more people into its restaurants.
“As the largest sports bar in America, we believe Buffalo Wild Wings is uniquely positioned to leverage sports gaming to enhance the restaurant experience for our guests,” a Buffalo Wild Wings spokesperson said in a statement. “We are actively exploring opportunities, including potential partners, as we evaluate the next steps for our brand.”
While B-Dubs would not offer any more information on its prospective endeavor into the bookmaking game, it is likely that the restaurant chain would have to partner with a company that is already licensed to take bets due to licensing requirements.
The potential addition of sports betting comes after a May ruling by the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), a federal law that had restricted legal betting in every state but Nevada. The ruling meant that individual states would be able to decide whether or not they wanted to legalize betting.
Since the ruling, three states, including New Jersey, Delaware, and Mississippi, have legalized sports betting, and West Virginia has passed legislation in an effort to set up betting guidelines by the start of the NFL season. It is predicted by analysts that within five years, more than half of the states will legalize sports betting.
Buffalo Wild Wings, which was founded in 1982, was bought by Arby’s in November of 2017 for $2.9 billion, the sandwich shop spending $157 per share for their new acquisition. The finalization of the sale came after B-Dubs went through a slump in sales in 2017, which CEO Sally Smith blamed on millennials and people ordering delivery rather than eating in, which led to lower alcohol sales.
Arby’s, which is owned by Roark Capital, also has partial ownership of Carvel, Jimmy John’s, and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels.
