The doors to the sports book at FedEx Field opened two hours before the Washington Commanders’ first game of the NFL regular season, drawing fans in with air-conditioning that blasted onto the stadium’s main concourse. Signs advertised a free Commanders hat for anyone who bet $20. A bouncer stood out front with a hand-held device that scanned IDs to check that patrons were 21 or older and not barred from gambling by state regulators.
A couple hundred cash bets had already been placed by the time Lawrence Harrod, 37, wandered in with his older brother shortly before kickoff. Harrod, who had already bet on four NFL games through a mobile gambling app, was mostly interested in taking a break from the humidity.
