Heat being turned up on NFL in regards to gambling policy … – Touchdown Wire

The NFLs silence on its gambling policy is deafening, and now the heat is starting to get turned up. Maybe its not the silence, but the hypocritical stance the NFL keeps taking when it comes to gambling. USA TODAYs Brent Schrotenboers piece on the NFLs do one thing but say another strategy proves that the league cant stay the current course. Whether the league and teams are courting casinos for sponsors, or making it illegal to gamble inside a stadium even though gambling on phones is legal in Las Vegas, its all just public posturing.

This is simply about public perception. The NFL has no problem with gambling when it gets to make money off sponsors. They are courting casinos as partners, while telling players they cant hold events, fundraisers, and conferences on casino grounds. The league is willing to take $750 million dollars in public money to move the Raiders to Sin City, but wants to stress that it is against legalized sports wagering expansion. Wait until Sands, Wynn, or Caesars wants to slap its name on the Las Vegas stadium through a multi-million dollar naming rights deal. Its way past the point of do as I say, not as I do. Its almost blatantly hypocritical.

The NFL has had the opportunity to change its stance. It would have been easy to come out in concert with the NBA and simply say that maybe the league could benefit from legalized sports gambling. It could even take the high road and say that legalizing gambling or at least doing research into the effects of legalization would take away a large revenue stream from organized crime. Instead, Roger Goodell has steadfastly said that gambling has no place in the NFL.

That stance is pretty rich. The NFL is one of the most wagered on leagues in the United States. Spreads are discussed on almost of their television partners programs. The injury report is almost exclusively designed to make sure that people cant take advantage of inside tips to have a better chance at winning a bet. The NFL and its teams already have official partnership deals with DraftKings and FanDuel. Both companies are involved with gambling even if they call it a different name.

We are way past the point of pretending that football and gambling dont go hand in hand. Its almost to the point that the NFL is insulting a large portion of its fans intelligence. Maybe its all about public relations, but three out of four sports fans are in favor of legalized sports gambling.Its time to come clean, but theres no sign of the league changing its stance. That means more articles, social media chatter, and television debates on the NFLs hypocritical stance.