The NFL has taken a hardline with League players when it comes to betting while "at work". However, with the changing landscape of mobile betting apps and the allowance for free-time gambling, does this ruling need to evolve with the times?
When it comes to sporting events unique to a country or region, the American National Football League (NFL) is an amazing success story. Evolving from English football (also known as soccer) and rugby in 1920, the sport was initially known as the American Professional Football Association. The moniker of the National Football League would only be adopted in 1922.
However, from these humble beginnings, it has grown into a gigantic industry that boasts over 400 million American and international fans and was valued in 2023 at more than $163 billion.
The crowning jewel of the NFL is the Super Bowl. Last year, this four-hour sporting spectacle attracted 123.4 million domesticate viewers, with another 62.5 million online viewers worldwide. With such mass appeal, it is no surprise that it is also a fan favourite event for the sports betting community, with an estimated $23 billion in bets placed on its last outing, a notable spike from the previous value of $16 billion thanks to sportsbook bonuses and widespread advertising.
With online gambling and sports betting gaining traction in America, the Super Bowl will undoubtedly continue to see increasing numbers of bets placed and higher-than-ever whale wagers as the years pass.
Interest in betting on the NFL is not limited to fans and professional gamblers. Many of the NFL's top players are known to frequent the tables at Las Vegas casinos and voice their desire to bet on American casino games legally.
National Insider for NFL Network Ian Rapoport posted the League's clearly defined betting guidelines, their '6 Key Rules', on X.com to ensure there was no doubt about its stance on player betting.
Failure to comply with the League’s no gambling during an active NFL season is met with swift and dire consequences. Players found to be colouring outside of the lines on this issue can expect to be suspended indefinitely for betting on the NFL, providing tips to third parties or using a proxy to bet for them. If they are found to be involved in match-fixing, this can escalate to a permanent ban, flushing multi-million dollar contracts down the drain in an instant.
The League is not leaving any room for players to argue that they didn't understand the rules or that the NFL's guidelines did not address their actions.
The 6 Key Rules are as follows:
The message expanded on the first rule, explaining that even the smallest wager would be considered an infraction. This included betting on your team, another team, or any points, spreads, futures, or parlays.
The League also clarified that regarding the second rule, they consider any of these locations to be at work, and gambling while on the job is strictly forbidden, including placing a wager on a mobile betting app. Your mobile device might be private property, but you’re still at work, so don’t do it.
Earlier this year, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell commented on the League’s no-nonsense approach to gambling, saying:
“The integrity of our game is critical. And so we spend a lot of time focusing on that, educating, making sure that all of our personnel are aware of our gambling policies, in this case, or any other policy that can affect the integrity of our game.”
Adding:
“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.”
Despite this clarity, NFL players continue to think they can get away with gambling on the outcomes of NFL games or creating parlays that include their own teams. A news outlet investigated the issue and released a list of the sports stars suspended from the League for violating its gambling policies dating back to the 1960s.
According to their findings, suspensions peaked in 2023, with ten players found guilty of unsanctioned fixed-odds bets. Three of these players, Quintez Cephus, C.J. Moore, and Stanley Berryhill, were cut by Detroit after the filings, with the Colts choosing to waive the contracts of Isaiah Rodgers, DE Rashod Berry, and DT Demetrius Taylor.
With the NFL openly advocating for sports betting for fans and followers, there is a growing frustration within its ranks with its apparent double standard.
Speaking with the Sports Business Journal, Calais Campbell of the Falcons explained:
“There was a time where it made sense, but now, with technology and being able to bet on baseball or basketball on your phone, I don’t understand why, just because I’m in a locker room or on a Wednesday or whatever, that I can’t pick up my phone and [bet].”
Campbell clarifies that he is not asking to be allowed to bet on the NFL, saying, "That's not OK." He doesn't see why they cannot bet on baseball, basketball, or esports, as it has no impact on the integrity of football.
He intimates that with mobile gambling apps, the League could even be given reports or access to track which bets are placed to ensure players don't go off-book.
According to the anonymous player interviews held by ESPN, the relevance of location and time is another point of consternation. Players can wager on non-NFL sports at home or during time off, but not while travelling with their team or at a team facility.
One player showcased the arbitrary nature of the ruling, saying:
"You're telling me that if I walk 10 feet from the [facility's] door, it doesn't matter anymore?"
According to the interviewees, betting on a boxing match while flying with their team to an away game challenges the integrity of the NFL makes no sense. And given that the penalty for doing so is only a 6-game suspension, rather than the minimum of one year for other transgressions, even the NFL doesn't deem it too serious.
While the NFL has made no public announcement that there will be a review of its gambling policies, it is clear that something needs to change. Public sentiments about online gambling, the prevalence of mobile betting and casino apps, and the League's direct involvement with legal betting in the US mean that it is time for the rules to evolve.
With the NFL’s direct involvement with player contracts and overall finances, it would see that in the short term, an approved sports betting provider for NFL players, with betting slip access available to an internal fraud and risk team, would be a simple and effective first step.
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