New York, NY - The NFL’s stance on sports betting has been set in stone for years now but with the announcement that the Oakland Raiders will be moving to Las Vegas, has people wondering if they are going to change that stance. Other leagues like the NBA and NHL, who just launched a new franchise in Vegas called the Las Vegas Golden Knights, have really loosened up on the gambling topic but the NFL has yet to give any other indicators that it is warming up to the idea.
An interesting fact about the NFL and gambling on sports that most may not know is that the league actually fines league personnel that make paid appearances at casinos. This is still the case even though the owners of NFL teams make millions of dollars from sponsorships from casinos, or lotteries, and don’t forget about their deals with daily fantasy sports sites. Not to mention the new trend of providing NFL games overseas in London, where sports gambling is legal.
NFL Arm Wrestling Update
This topic has picked up even more juice as of late after several NFL athletes were discovered to have played part in an arm wrestling competition at the MGM Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The leagues are currently reviewing the situation and considering whether or not said players will receive a fine or not.
Scott Rosner, a professor of sports law and business at the University of Pennsylvania, touched on the subject asking “How can you have a franchise there and not allow players to participate in arm wrestling contests?” He then went on to explain “When you get into the weeds, the policies may not be as inconsistent as they seem, but the optics are that the league is very inconsistent on this.”
Future of Sports Betting in the NFL
While many are questioning what the NFL’s real intentions are with sports betting, the fact of the matter is that the league has until 2019 to revise their rules before the Raiders are actually in Vegas. They should take that time to understand that the times are changing and allowing gambling in sports isn’t as dangerous as it once was thought to be.
The NFL doesn’t have to rush with their decisions but there is no debating the money that could be brought in if they do change their mind on the matter. If this does happen the smartest move for the NFL would be to push congress to implement a sports wagering policy that applies to not only to Arizona sports betting but to the entire country, as opposed to the current state by state laws.