One of the U.S.' largest grocery store chains is getting into the digital sports betting business. Ohio-based Kroger is letting customers sign up with gaming operators through the company’s retail supermarkets and gas stations to receive promotions and offers, according to a Cincinnati Business Courier report.
Kroger is offering customers an opportunity to scan a QR code or log into the site to get Kroger Play. The product lets them create accounts with mobile sportsbook ESPN BET, online casinos through PENN Entertainment, and Daily Fantasy Sports site OwnersBox. For instance, Kroger Play offers $50 in DFS contests when a customer deposits and plays with $10 at OwnersBox.
The supermarket and department store company declined to comment on Kroger Play because of how new the product is, the Cincinnati Business Courier reported, but Kroger wants to increase customer engagement and develop more marketing strategies.
“Customer engagement remains strong,” Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen said on a third-quarter conference call in Dec. 2024. “Mainstream households are the primary driver of our positive customer engagement trends.”
Kroger operates over 1,200 grocery stores across 16 U.S. states, including nine that offer legal sports betting and two legal iGaming jurisdictions.
A new trend?
This isn't Kroger’s first gambling product. The company received approval from the Ohio Lottery Commission to install 20 sports betting kiosks in Buckeye State stores last year. Customers could place wagers at locations in the Cincinnati and Dayton areas.
Retail gaming could become a rising trend as companies continue looking to engage with consumers. 7-Eleven, which operates over 9,000 convenience stores across the U.S., partnered with Jackpot.com last year to let Ohio and Massachusetts residents purchase lottery tickets online.
Big names, big markets
ESPN BET currently operates online sports betting in 19 states, including Ohio. PENN Entertainment offers iGaming in five of the seven legal jurisdictions. OwnersBox is legal in more than 30 states.
Ohio is a major sports betting market, so it’s not surprising Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati, is rolling out gaming products in the Buckeye State. Ohio bettors wagered nearly $9 billion on sports in 2024, and 14 current online operators combined to haul in over $905 million in revenue last year.
