ST LOUIS, MO - FEBRUARY 23: Matthew McCrane #16 of the NY Guardians kicks off during the second half ... [+] of an XFL game against the St. Louis Battlehawks at The Dome at America Center on February 23, 2020 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images)

The annual football hibernation has been suspended this year, as the XFL has stepped in to fill the seven month void with what they feel is a new and improved take on American football.

Backed by the WWE CEO and mastermind Vince McMahon, the league looks to offer a more progressive and engaging product in comparison to the somewhat conservative and traditional product put out by the NFL.

A fresh take on the rules, faster game play, and accessible ticket prices all cater to a more fan friendly product, but one area where the XFL differs most from its big brother is the leagues overall stance when it comes to sports betting.

Where the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell have spent years fighting the inevitable spread of regulated sports betting, McMahon and the XFL are embracing the action.

While this may come as a shock to many, people like to watch games that they have money on sarcastically stated BetOnline sportsbook manager Adam Burns.

There exist a small number of sports bettors who can consider themselves to be full-time professional gamblers, but for most, sports betting is merely another form of entertainment.

Having a little bit of skin in the game can turn a seemingly boring matchup into a dopamine rollercoaster ride for the casual bettor, and many of the emerging sports betting brands are targeting the average Joe looking to add some excitement to the game.

Slogans like DraftKings Lifes More Fun With Skin in the Game and the Action Networks Embrace the Sweat center around the concept of bringing a viewer into the game as a participant rather than a sideline viewer. Entering the 4th week of the season, the XFL is employing similar tactics to focus on fan engagement in all areas of the game, with sports betting playing an integral part in the leagues growth potential.

In an interview with ESPNs David Purdum, XFL president Jeffrey Pollack discussed the leagues desire to embrace the spread.

"This notion of embracing the spread means that our mission, our design and our business infrastructure are all geared to the sports betting future that's coming fast.

Pollack further added that he sees "a lot of pros to leaning into the sports betting world. It's what our fans want. We don't see cons, we see opportunity."

NFL Placing A Losing Wager?

By embracing this opportunity, the XFL takes a divergent approach to the growing industry in comparison to most American sports leagues who see royalty fees and a share of any action driven up from their products.

These stiff demands from leagues come across as a mere cash grab in attempts to pad their wallets amid the sports betting gold rush taking place across the country. With no federal regulations in place, states have been granted the authority to devise their own legislation when it comes to who can operate and at what costs.

Sports leagues attempts to stiff-arm their way into the profit margins of operators and state legislators comes across as greedy given that an active sports betting market would already see their products benefit greatly in terms of viewership and advertisement dollars.

The rise in popularity of fantasy football undoubtedly boosted the NFLs ratings and overall interest in the players on the field. Numerous publications and countless hours of on-air content has been dedicated to discussing players who were once seemingly obsolete to the average fan.

Truth be told, both betting and fantasy sports keeps the league relevant in ways the commissioners simply cannot do themselves.

Putting Bettors First

From its inception, the XFL always knew that their popularity at the betting counter would be an integral part to their growth. Consulting with sportsbook operators, many of the XFLs rules are actually centered around keeping betting options alive longer.

Extra points have been replaced with a format that creates the opportunity for a team to add between 1 and 3 points to their total in a move that increases the chances for comebacks and close games.

We currently see about as much combined action on Saturdays four XFL games as we would see on a single prime-time NFL matchup, shared BetOnlines Burns, who added that this is a much more promising start to that seen by last years AAF.

One interesting difference is that most XFL wagers are coming in on the game totals. Most major American sports we cover see the majority of the action on the point spread.

Leagues are always looking for ways to establish themselves as forward thinking and evolutionary. With the sports betting boom continuing its spread across the country, the XFLs mission to become the most betting friendly league in the United States is one wager that could pay off big time in the long run.

See the original post:

XFL Embraces Gambling In Quest To Become Most Sports Betting Friendly League In The Country - Forbes