NFL and Gambling

[RiverDog]

For years, the NFL has avoided gambling like the plague. Now, they're all in. Brought to you by the boys who have suspended players for an entire season for violating their policy on gambling:

NFL-themed slot machines to make debut on Vegas strip. The NFL has partnered with Aristocrat Gaming to bring NFL-themed slot machines to Las Vegas.

The Australian casino game manufacturer has partnered with the NFL for the new NFL Super Bowl Jackpots game — a license agreement that demonstrates just how far the NFL has come since the Supreme Court paved the way for legalized sports betting.

Prior to the 2018 court decision, the NFL was a staunch opponent of allowing people to bet legally on its games. In the years since, the organization has cashed in on sports betting by sharing NFL trademarks and data with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings and FanDuel. Now, the NFL will slap its logo on slot machines all over Las Vegas as part of a multiyear agreement with Aristocrat Gaming struck in 2021, the company said in a news release.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/sports/nfl- ... cmp=tw_fnc

I swear, this league is so money hungry that they'd pimp out their cheerleaders if they could figure out a way to do it legally.

[NorthHawk]

It's been quite an about face in the last decade for the NFL, but...
We all know that for the owners, money is paramount. Owners can do anything they want until it affects the money side and then the hammer falls. Snyder is the latest example of that.
But it doesn't have to be just straight forward misfeasance like not sharing revenue, it also means anything that would cause the NFL to be considered less than stellar and thus less valuable.
If it affects the bottom line they will act - good or bad.

[RiverDog]

It's been quite an about face in the last decade for the NFL, but...
We all know that for the owners, money is paramount. Owners can do anything they want until it affects the money side and then the hammer falls. Snyder is the latest example of that.
But it doesn't have to be just straight forward misfeasance like not sharing revenue, it also means anything that would cause the NFL to be considered less than stellar and thus less valuable.
If it affects the bottom line they will act - good or bad.

Yep. I guess it's all part of business, but my Lord. Gambling is a vice, and there are people out there who can least afford it that are addicted to it. At my former place of employment, a husband and wife racked up some huge gambling debts, then when their kids refused to help pay them, they both committed suicide. They might as well be putting their logos on cigarettes or beer.

[NorthHawk]

It wouldn't surprise me if those two products have been considered. After all cigarettes and beer are legal products, so I would think they've looked at them along with others just as unsavory.
But image can affect the bottom line so they probably decided it wasn't worth the risk.

[RiverDog]

It wouldn't surprise me if those two products have been considered. After all cigarettes and beer are legal products, so I would think they've looked at them along with others just as unsavory.
But image can affect the bottom line so they probably decided it wasn't worth the risk.

Yeah, they probably discarded the idea over concerns that they could be sued if someone got into an accident after drinking their beer. That's why all the beer companies have tossed in the disclaimer "drink responsibly". I guess the term "social responsibility" is no longer part of the league's lexicon.

[Vegaseahawk]

For years the local sports radio talk shows here lamented about the hypocrisy of the NFL's public stance against sports wagering vs their quiet support of it. That's why & where the injury report, odds, & statistics compilations originated. I think it's refreshing for them to at least be up front about it. As for me & the idea of going into debt gambling, uh, Stevie Wonder could see where the money for all those megaresorts comes from. Sad to read about those folks who got addicted to the point of suicide. There are many other options for folks who dig themselves in too deep. I've seen many times what compulsive behavior of all kinds can do. I moved here in 1979 & blew my very first 2-week paycheck, ($275) in one night. That experience cured me for life. To be fair, I still bet a little bit on sports here & there during football season, but it's money that's in my entertainment budget, & I never chase my losses.

[RiverDog]

For years the local sports radio talk shows here lamented about the hypocrisy of the NFL's public stance against sports wagering vs their quiet support of it. That's why & where the injury report, odds, & statistics compilations originated. I think it's refreshing for them to at least be up front about it. As for me & the idea of going into debt gambling, uh, Stevie Wonder could see where the money for all those megaresorts comes from. Sad to read about those folks who got addicted to the point of suicide. There are many other options for folks who dig themselves in too deep. I've seen many times what compulsive behavior of all kinds can do. I moved here in 1979 & blew my very first 2-week paycheck, ($275) in one night. That experience cured me for life. To be fair, I still bet a little bit on sports here & there during football season, but it's money that's in my entertainment budget, & I never chase my losses.

The problem isn't people like you and me, it's younger kids who don't get the same type of education about this vice as they do alcohol, drugs, and tobacco.

I've also noticed that more immigrants, who are unfamiliar with our domestic culture, are more subject to becoming addicted to gambling. The couple I mentioned above were both Asian immigrants. I also had a Laotian employee who was murdered over a gambling debt, and my sister-in-law, a native Thai and although she's not to the point of addiction, never misses a chance to go into a casino and hit the slots.

Bottom line, they're taking advantage of a dangerous vice to turn a buck. I don't like it.

[NorthHawk]

Gambling is found all over the world and it hurts some but most by a fair margin don't have a problem with it, so immigrants would probably have roughly the same % of issues as native born gamblers.

[Vegaseahawk]

my sister-in-law, a native Thai and although she's not to the point of addiction, never misses a chance to go into a casino and hit the slots.

Interesting. I spent 7 plus years in Thailand as a kid during the Vietnam war era. My Dad worked for the US Gov't in Saigon. I love everything about Thailand, especially her people. I cook almost ALL Thai foods, & I speak the language fluently. 3 of my brothers live there full time, & I plan to spend 4 months per year there starting in 2024 when I retire. This may sound racist, but even though the Thai's love to gamble on anything & everything, the Chinese are even worse.

[EmeraldBullet]

If a player or coach is betting on themselves to be successful, or in a sport that they have no control over, I dont see what the conflict of interest is.

[RiverDog]

my sister-in-law, a native Thai and although she's not to the point of addiction, never misses a chance to go into a casino and hit the slots.

Interesting. I spent 7 plus years in Thailand as a kid during the Vietnam war era. My Dad worked for the US Gov't in Saigon. I love everything about Thailand, especially her people. I cook almost ALL Thai foods, & I speak the language fluently. 3 of my brothers live there full time, & I plan to spend 4 months per year there starting in 2024 when I retire. This may sound racist, but even though the Thai's love to gamble on anything & everything, the Chinese are even worse.

You're not being the least bit racist. You're commenting about a societal issue that has an obvious race/nationality component to it.

I don't know if things have changed as it's been 40 some years ago, but I remember vividly the Wah Mee massacre in Seattle back in the 80's which occurred at an illegal gambling club frequented by Chinese immigrants. At the time, one of my best friends and coworker was a native Chinese, born in the British section of Hong Kong, and he would confirm what you have to say about the Chinese. It's my opinion that immigrants, specifically Asian immigrants, are more subject to becoming addicted to gambling than the average person.

I'm just a little uncomfortable with the league jumping in bed with the gaming industry. Gambling is a vice, and I'm concerned that we're not addressing the potential for abuse.

[RiverDog]

If a player or coach is betting on themselves to be successful, or in a sport that they have no control over, I dont see what the conflict of interest is.

It's not so much about control as it is access to exclusive information they can obtain through their position as coach, player, etc, that others aren't privy to.

Pete Rose is a prime example. He didn't bet on his team to lose then make decisions that hurt his team's chances to win. But he would select games in which he had some inside knowledge where his team had an advantage or disadvantage in then use that information to make a decision as to whether or not to make a wager on that game. If his starting pitcher looked good the day before in mock game, he might decide to lay down a bet. If he had a hitter that was battling a cold or had developed a blister, he might not bet on that game.

Rick Neuheisel, former football coach at UW, got his tit in a wringer by being involved in a high stakes betting pool during March Madness, the men's basketball tournament. Even though he wasn't directly connected to the men's basketball program, his position within the athletic department at a major university could give him some inside knowledge not known to others.

That type of access to information can make them subject to other gamblers looking for an advantage, makes them susceptible to bribery, extortion, etc, especially if they start racking up gambling debts. It puts them in the company of an unsavory crowd.

I don't necessarily disagree with the NFL's policy on gambling as it applies to their employees. But their over-the-top discipline, suspending players for an entire season while making a pact with the Devil seems a bit hypocritical. Do as I say, not as I do.

[NorthHawk]

I don't think players should be able to bet at all during the season.
The other angle not yet talked about is points shaving so for example if a WR is betting on a score being closer than the game is in say a blowout game, he might be tempted to fumble the ball so as to keep the point spread closer to his bet. The team still wins, but the score is influenced to the benefit of some and detriment of others.
And don't get started on the Referees...

[RiverDog]

I don't think players should be able to bet at all during the season.
The other angle not yet talked about is points shaving so for example if a WR is betting on a score being closer than the game is in say a blowout game, he might be tempted to fumble the ball so as to keep the point spread closer to his bet. The team still wins, but the score is influenced to the benefit of some and detriment of others.
And don't get started on the Referees...

Good point about shaving points. Plus, there's a lot of gambling activity based on individual player performance such as there is in Fantasy Football. Cam Newton joked about it once, saying Rivera must have had Christain McCaffery on his fantasy team because he was calling his number so often.

If I'm the NFL, I don't even want players to be going into casinos or sports books during the season simply because of the optics.

[NorthHawk]

If I'm the NFL, I don't even want players to be going into casinos or sports books during the season simply because of the optics.

Agreed. It also makes it simpler to enforce and the rules to be understood. No gambling during the season, period. No exceptions. Every player can understand that and those that still gamble lose the privilege of playing in the NFL.

[RiverDog]

If I'm the NFL, I don't even want players to be going into casinos or sports books during the season simply because of the optics.

Agreed. It also makes it simpler to enforce and the rules to be understood. No gambling during the season, period. No exceptions. Every player can understand that and those that still gamble lose the privilege of playing in the NFL.

We're completely aligned on this topic. My only beef is the length of the suspensions and the hypocrisy of the league's embracing the gaming industry. One season is a virtual lifetime when you consider the average length of the typical NFL player.