Disciplined players
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the “integrity of the game” is the NFL’s number one priority as it develops its relationship with gambling.
Super Bowl LVIII will be the league’s first championship game in Las Vegas and as the majority of US states have legalized sports betting, questions surrounding game integrity persist. The NFL also has gambling partnerships with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings, and FanDuel.
anything that would negatively impact the integrity of our game is absolutely off limits”
“We clarified our policy earlier this year, and it was to put the importance for our players betting on NFL games or inside information or anything that would negatively impact the integrity of our game is absolutely off limits,” Goodell said Monday during his annual State of the League address ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.
Goodell estimated that the NFL has disciplined around 13 players and 25 league employees for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.
Banned from gambling
Goodell answered questions on the NFL’s gambling policy, the league’s role in preventing gambling addiction, and the revenue the NFL makes from gambling.
He made clear that during the Super Bowl week, all league and team personnel would be banned from taking part in any form of gambling or visiting casinos in Sin City. A reminder of the league’s gambling policy was also sent to all 32 teams in the run-up to the Super Bowl.
they know the action on the field is genuine and without any outside influence”
“We want to make sure it doesn’t harm the game,” Goodell added. “We want to make sure that when people are watching NFL games, they know the action on the field is genuine and without any outside influence.”
Updated policy
In recent years, the NFL has updated its gambling policy as the league adapts to the decision made by the US Supreme Court to allow states to legalize sports betting.
Compared to NFL players, staff face tighter restrictions. If an employee is found to have bet on an NFL game, they are terminated from their job, while a player is suspended for one year for betting on the league and two years for betting on their team.
Betting on non-NFL sports isn’t quite as serious, but those in the wrong still face consequences. Goodell said that first-time offenders receive a two-game suspension without pay, two-time offenders receive a six-game suspension, and three-time offenders receive a year suspension at minimum.
“We take this incredibly seriously,” Goodell said. “We know the risk, and protecting the integrity is No. 1.”