NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s Statement On Gambling & Actions Don’t Really Match

The NFL and gambling have a tumultuous connection. The NFL has fought against the growth of regulated sports betting for many years. The NFL then started scrambling for any money it could find as soon as the floodgates of gambling money opened. Well, that’s very hypocrite of Roger Goodell.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s Statement On Gambling & Actions Don’t Really Match

Given the NFL’s extremely tight restrictions limiting any type of sports betting by non-players and silly, absurd laws surrounding sports betting by players, it has given rise to accusations of inconsistency and hypocrisy.

The NFL clearly has no say in what the Supreme Court decides, so in 2018, the Court overturned a federal ban on sports wagering and left the matter up to the states.

Since that time, sports betting is permitted in 34 states as well as Washington, DC. The way people watch and consume sports has changed as a result. Yes, individuals did use offshore books for betting, but far less often than they do now. Additionally, it now makes sense for domestic gaming firms to oversaturate the airwaves with advertisements and sponsor segments. On Sunday, I’m sure FanDuel or DraftKings will also provide some in-game graphics.

Commissioner Roger Goodell was questioned about the NFL and gambling on Thursday night during an interview with NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico prior to the Lions-Chiefs kickoff game.

“Are you comfortable with how the league is reconciling gambling as a business entity for some of the league right now, and players —10 of whom were suspended this year for gambling?” said Tirico. “Are you comfortable with where it sits right now in trying to protect the integrity of the game?

“Well, Mike, it’s one of the reasons we oppose legalized sports betting, because of the risk to the integrity of the game,” Goodell said. “And so that’s always going to be our number one priority. When the Supreme Court overruled that, we have to be in that space. And it’s actually helped us with trying to educate our fans, educate our personnel. This isn’t just about players. It affects every league employee, every club employee. And so it’s pretty simple. If you bet on the NFL and you’re a part of the NFL, you’ve got a problem.”

If the NFL believes that the best way to deal with sports betting is to simply urge non-players to wager on no sports at all (violators have been fired), and to tell players to refrain from wagering on NFL games and to only do so when not at work, then the NFL has a problem. The potential dangers are far wider than the smallest pieces of low-hanging fruit.

The game is dripping with insider knowledge. How is it safeguarded? Does anyone even attempt to do this?

 

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