Milk, eggs, bets: Kroger and Acme Fresh Market applying to put sports gambling kiosks in grocery stores

 Milk, eggs and a bet on a Browns game might be on grocery lists next year. Along with bars, restaurants and bowling alleys, grocery stores are looking to add sports gambling kiosks.

Acme Fresh Market and Kroger have applied for licenses to have sports gaming kiosks at several locations in Ohio. The only grocery store in Cuyahoga County to be preapproved so far is the Acme store in Parma.

The state law that legalized sports gambling created several ways to place bets, including mobile apps, physical sportsbooks and the kiosks that over 1,100 businesses have been preapproved for so far.

The first possible day for legal bets is Jan. 1.

Acme has been preapproved for a kiosk-style “Type-C” at nine locations, including the Parma store on Pleasant Valley Road, seven in Summit County and one in North Canton.

Kroger has been preapproved for kiosks at 42 grocery stores across the state. The chain doesn’t reach into Greater Cleveland.

The kiosks will be mostly under the Ohio Lottery Commission’s purview. The “Type-C” licenses needed will come from the Ohio Casino Control Commission, but only after the businesses get a recommendation from the Lottery Commission.

To get a Type-C licenses businesses need a D-1, D-2 or D-5 liquor permit, which all allow for consumption on the premises and for carryout purchases. Businesses also need to be licensed lottery sales agents.

Any retailer that holds the correct liquor permit and is a lottery sales agent can apply for the kiosk license, lottery spokesperson Danielle Frizzi-Babb said.

So far 28 bars, and no grocery stores, have been preapproved for Type-C licenses in Cleveland. A list of preapproved businesses is released by the Lottery Commission each Friday. 

If a business wants its kiosk on the Jan. 1 start date, it must submit its application to the Casino Control Commission by Aug. 15.

Has your favorite bar been preapproved for a sports gaming kiosk?

Your neighborhood bar, favorite bowling alley or golf course may be getting a sports gambling kiosk.

Use the searchable chart to see if your favorite bar or restaurant has been preapproved. It works best if you search by city, but you can also search by business name, ZIP code and address.