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The NFL’s rules on gambling have drawn widespread criticism and questions in the lead up to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, as the league aims to balance its sportsbook partnerships and policies barring players from betting on games.
Gambling was a major topic at NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s annual Super Bowl news conference on Monday, when he said the “integrity of the league” was a top priority.
“We want to make sure that when people are watching an NFL game, they know the action on the field is real and without any outside influence,” Goodell said.
With the US betting center just days away, it’s worth taking a look back at the NFL’s policies for its players and how the league’s stance has changed over time.
NFL rules on sports betting
The league has long said that players are not allowed to bet on NFL events. Its 2023 gambling policy states that players may never place, solicit, or facilitate bets on “any NFL game, practice, or other event, such as the Combine or Draft”, either directly or through a third party.
Players are also not allowed to participate in someone else’s NFL betting activities, such as asking someone to place NFL-related bets on their behalf or allowing another person to use their account to place NFL-related bets. Give.
Additionally, the rules state that players cannot enter a sportsbook during the NFL season (from the Hall of Fame Game to the Super Bowl), “except for access to an area outside the sportsbook”. For example, a player may pass through the sportsbook “where necessary” to go to a different part of the entertainment, casino or hotel complex.
In the Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers both stay at Lake Las Vegas, about 25 miles east of the Strip.
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League rules are also specific about when and where players can gamble.
Players are prohibited from gambling at team or league facilities (such as practice facilities, stadiums and offices) or while traveling with their teams (such as on team planes or in team hotels) to attend NFL games or postseason games. . action.
Can NFL players bet on other sports?
Players are allowed to bet on sports other than the NFL in states where betting is legal, subject to the NFL’s rules on entering a sportsbook and betting from the workplace.
For example, a player cannot place a bet from an NFL feature, even if the bet is not on an NFL game. Detroit Lions receiver Jameson Williams and Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Nicolas Petit-Frere were disciplined for rule violations this season. He originally received a six-game suspension, but the league updated its gambling policy in September, reducing the penalty from six games to four.
Betting on non-NFL events in the workplace or while still working carries a two-game suspension for the first offense, six games for the second offense and a minimum one-year suspension for the third offense.
What are the gambling rules for the Super Bowl?
Members of the two Super Bowl teams, the Chiefs and 49ers, are prohibited from participating in casino games and any form of gambling, including betting on any sports.
The league said players on the other 30 teams could engage in “legal gambling” — but not on the NFL, and they could not go to a sportsbook until the Super Bowl was over.
NFL executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy Jeff Miller said last week: “The rules for players and other personnel of participating teams are no different than they would be for any other sport: When on business, There is no gambling, whether it is sports gambling or otherwise.
“And any player, coach, personnel, yours truly, who is caught or identified gambling at the casino will be eligible for the disciplinary process, and will be addressed in the normal course of discipline as we would any player. or other personnel. There was evidence that gambling regulations were being breached.”
NFL disciplinary process for gambling violations
Violations of the NFL’s gambling policy are decided on a case-by-case basis by Goodell or his designee, according to the 2023 rules.
“Discipline may include, without limitation, a fine, suspension, termination of employment and/or lifetime expulsion from the NFL,” the rules state.
Below are the baseline suspensions for gambling policy violations, “with possible adjustments upward or downward,” according to the rules, which note: “Nothing in this policy shall prevent the Commissioner from imposing greater discipline for other types of prohibited conduct. Doesn’t stop me from doing it.”
- Bet on NFL: An indefinite suspension, a minimum of one year or a minimum of two years, if a player bets on an NFL game involving his team.
- Actual or attempted game fixing: Permanent expulsion from NFL
- Insider info and tipping: Indefinite suspension, minimum one year
- Third-party or proxy betting: Indefinite suspension, minimum one year
- Betting in the workplace or while working (other than NFL):
- First violation: two-game suspension without pay
- Second violation: six-game suspension without pay
- Third violation: Suspension without pay for at least one year
How has the NFL’s stance on gambling changed?
athleticMike Jones explained in a recent article how the NFL’s complicated relationship with sports betting has evolved:
Since the legalization of sports gambling, the NFL has worked hard in terms of partnering with companies like Caesars, FanDuel, and DraftKings and also ensuring that players avoid activities that would compromise the integrity of the game. The league has not yet released figures on how much revenue is generated from partnerships with gambling companies, but according to the American Gaming Association (AGA), the NFL brings in $2.3 billion per year because of those deals.
League officials had long been concerned about betting on NFL games, worrying that it would increase player involvement and raise questions about the temptation to fix games. But once the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018, they also felt the need to evolve.
On the league’s efforts to promote responsible sports betting practices, Miller said, “The league’s relationship with sports gambling has changed for a particular reason, and that’s because the world has changed.” “The Supreme Court overturned the (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act) five years and a few months ago in 2018. As a result, we had to rethink how we engage with legal sports gambling, and that’s what we’ve done. …And we will continue to look and test how we do that in the hope that we can be the best we can to protect the integrity of the game in a world where the rules have changed.
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(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
