Towards the end of the 2022 NFL season, the NFL received a ton of controversy regarding its gambling rules. The NFL receives a lot more attention regarding gambling and betting on games than any other national league or major league sport. For this, the NFL has had to construct rules for not only the athletes, but for all NFL personnel.
Regulated sports betting is spreading rapidly around the nation, and the NFL is trying to stay ahead of potential problems with increased monitoring and education, while hoping stiff penalties act as a deterrent. On May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), the federal statute that restricted regulated sports betting to primarily Nevada since 1992. The NFL was a plaintiff in the case and had fought to stop the spread of betting for more than two decades, but it pivoted after losing in the Supreme Court. In the past five years, the NFL has embraced the new landscape, including allowing players to bet on sports other than the NFL. Thirty-three states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have launched legal betting markets, with regulated sportsbooks in the U.S. handling more than $220 billion in wagers since 2018, according to the American Gaming Association. The NFL has three official sportsbook partners: Caesars, DraftKings and FanDuel, and allows sportsbooks to operate at league stadiums. Point spreads and odds that used to be off-limits are now integrated into pregame shows and media coverage, and commercials for sportsbooks are shown frequently during NFL games. With betting menus growing rapidly, there is money on the line on practically every play. As these opportunities grow, so does the possibility for violations.
The NFL is catching those who violate the gambling policy, including third parties in partnership with the league using geolocation to identify bets being placed from prohibited jurisdictions, such as team facilities. Additionally, companies are developing platforms aimed at tracking bets placed by prohibited individuals such as players and coaches. Leagues or teams would provide a list of prohibited bettors to the platforms, which would then be shared with sportsbooks. If a prohibited bettor attempts to wager, the technology flags it.
The original rule was NFL personnel, which includes league-office employees, team employees, players, owners, coaches, trainers, officials, security, and stadium workers, among others, are prohibited from “placing, soliciting or facilitating any bet, whether directly or through a third party,” on any NFL game, practice, or other league event, such as the draft or combine. After the PAPSA decision in 2018, there was an exemption that players could bet on sports other than the NFL.
At the end of last year’s season, the NFL announced it had suspended 4 players for violating gambling rules.[1] Isaiah Rodgers and Rashod Berry of the Indianapolis Colts and free agent Demetrius Taylor were suspended indefinitely through at least the conclusion of the 2023 season for betting on NFL games in the 2022 season.[2] Nicholas Petit-Frere of the Tennessee Titans was suspended for the team’s first six regular-season games of the 2023 season for betting on non-NFL sports at the club facility.[3]
Early in the 2023 season, the NFL tightened its rules. Under the new policy, as disclosed in a memo from Commissioner Roger Goodell, a player who places a bet involving his own team will be suspended for at least 2 years. Bets placed by players on any NFL game will result in at least a 1-year suspension.[4] Betting on non-NFL sports while at a team facility or on team-related travel will now result in a 2-game suspension for a first violation, 6 games for a second violation and at least 1 year for a third.[5] Under these new rules as well, the NFL has reinstated 3 players that previously received longer suspensions.[6] It is important to note this new policy applies to players only, but agents and other NFL personnel still have other rules to abide by. It will be interesting to see how the NFL continues to watch and modify its rules based on the future of the sport betting industry.
[1] https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-suspends-four-players-for-violating-league-gambling-policy
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38521972/nfl-toughens-bets-own-team-new-gambling-policy
[5] Id.
[6] https://www.kare11.com/article/sports/nfl-penalties-for-players-staff-sports-gambling/89-2b739f1c-4203-43f6-86f5-c5657d36059b
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