“Gambling” was as soon as a four-letter phrase within the NFL.
Las Vegas didn’t exist.
Mentioning level spreads was toxic to your profession.
When “The NFL Today” was at its zenith, Brent Musberger and Jimmy The Greek mentioned what the Greek’s “friends in the desert” thought concerning the Cowboys sport. And the Greek was all the time fast with a climate replace from Green Bay including his ideas on what can be a “low-scoring” affair within the snow.
Fast ahead to 2024. Super Bowl 58 will likely be performed in Las Vegas on Feb. 11.
Five years after the Supreme Court allowed authorized sports activities betting, it has proliferated. In the U.S., 34 states have lively dwell and authorized wagering. Four others, together with Maine and Vermont, have legalized betting however have but to launch.
All six New England states permit sports activities betting. It is smart {that a} member of the New England Patriots can be considerably confused and pissed off over the NFL’s until-now convoluted coverage towards its gamers and betting.
The different day, Jonathan Jones provided the next dilemma on Twitter.
“I understand rules are rules, But I can risk my life so that my team wins but I can’t risk 1k on my team winning”
He added a shrugging emoji.
Jones was voicing his dismay over the suspensions given to NFL gamers for betting on the NFL or putting non-NFL bets at group amenities.
Seven gamers have now been sacked by Roger Goodell for at the least one 12 months after being discovered to have wager on the NFL since 2021.
Three different gamers obtained six-game suspensions after being discovered to have wagered whereas at work.
Only one, Calvin Ridley, was a family identify exterior his personal family.
None, shocking, have been quarterbacks or marquee-level stars.
This wouldn’t be the primary time the NFL has engaged in selective enforcement of the foundations.
Jones’ tweet was solely 117 characters, together with the shrugging emoji. But he gave us quite a bit to unpack.
Shameless plug/disclosure alert, I work as a Senior Betting Analyst for bookies.com, which is a part of the Gambling.Com Group. The job is as cool because it sounds. When my greatest buddy and I spent our teen years chasing the dream at Wonderland and Raynham Park, I’d have by no means thought 40 years later it will result in a full-time job masking sports activities betting.
America. What a rustic!
Two weeks in the past, the NFL issued second-grade degree clarification of its playing guidelines. The gamers suspended this 12 months and final all positioned bets previous to 2023.
Here are the NFL betting guidelines as simplified as my Arlington Public Schools and Marquette University schooling could make them:
1. Don’t wager on the NFL
2. Don’t wager at work or whilst you’re working
3. Don’t have somebody wager for you
4. Don’t share ‘inside information’
5. Don’t enter a sportsbook throughout the NFL season
6. Don’t play fantasy soccer
NFL gamers have all the time been prohibited from betting on the NFL. That wants no additional rationalization. The NFL has now clarified this to imply your individual sport, different video games, level totals, participant props and futures bets. And each NFL occasion, from the mix (Who bets on the mix?) by the Super Bowl, NFL Honors, and the Pro Bowl (Who bets on the Pro Bowl?).
Rule No. 2 ought to now be clear to the dimmest of wit. Don’t place a wager when you are on group property or touring on group enterprise. That consists of whereas on buses, planes, trains and at accommodations.
In abstract: “don’t bet on anything while at work.”
Does this make sense when some stadiums have sportsbooks on web site? No.
But the NFL is a government-protected paperwork run by attorneys.
Common sense doesn’t issue into the decision-making course of.
Does this make the NFL hypocritical?
What doesn’t make the NFL hypocritical?
Back to Jones. “I understand rules are rules,” he wrote.
In the present CBA, the NFL Players Association once more allowed the Commissioner to have closing say in all league issues.
Judge Berman be damned.
Think Article 46 throughout Deflategate below the earlier CBA.
Jones’ union must do higher when it comes negotiating and promulgating mentioned guidelines.
As to the remainder of his tweet: “But I can risk my life so that my team wins but I can’t risk 1k on my team winning”
Jones ought to rethink his line of labor. There are many professions wherein members danger their lives. Football gamers are paid an immense amount of cash for doing so. They make excess of pilots, cops or firefighters.
Bless them for it. They are free to play. Free to receives a commission. And free to give up.
Given the chance that Jones takes in taking part in, why would he need to compound that danger by betting his hard-earned cash on NFL video games? Hasn’t he already risked sufficient?
Frank Lopez warned Tony Montana to not get excessive on his personal provide.
That similar warning applies.
Patriots’ followers are conditioned to snigger on the phrase “integrity of the game” because it was used to punish Tom Brady for following the Ideal Gas Law.
But the “integrity of the game” does matter right here. If the general public believes the product is tainted, there isn’t a product. Not even the NFL can survive that.
And NFL gamers already reap the monetary rewards from the league’s embrace of authorized sports activities betting in each paycheck. All gambling-related revenues are utilized in calculating the wage cap below the CBA adopted in 2020. That consists of sponsorship and licensing charges.
Players obtain at the least 48% of all league revenues (blame the NFLPA should you suppose it needs to be extra), together with these from betting-related actions.
That’s as near a certain factor as you’re ever going to get.
Especially when risking your life.
Bill Speros (@RealOBF & @BillSperos) may be reached at [email protected].
Source: www.bostonherald.com