The NFL is trying to stay ahead of potential sports betting-related problems with increased monitoring and education, while hoping stiff penalties act as a deterrent. Recent events suggest the enhanced measures are warranted.
In the wake of three players being suspended at least one year for betting on league games, the NFL is investigating other potential violations, according to ESPN sources. In the five years since a Supreme Court decision ended a federal ban, the NFL went from opposition to sports betting to embracing the new landscape.
The NFL has three official partners—Caesars, DraftKings and FanDuel—and allows sportsbooks to operate at stadiums. Point spreads and odds are part of media coverage and pre-game telecasts. Commercials for sportsbooks are a staple on NFL games.
With more states approving sports betting, the number of betting prospects increases, so does the potential for violations.
Seven NFL players, at least one assistant coach and an undisclosed number of team employees have violated the league’s gambling policy in the past five years. Detroit Lions receiver Quintez Cephus, Lions safety C.J. Moore and Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney were the players suspended in April for at least one year for allegedly betting directly on the NFL.
Lions receivers Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams each received six-game suspensions for placing wagers while located at the team’s facility, a violation of league rules.
The April suspensions depended in part to contracts with firms that have geolocation tools to identify bets placed in prohibited areas. The NFL’s partner, U.S. Integrity, would monitor the betting marketplace and receive a list of prohibited bettors, sharing such lists with sportsbooks. Bets placed by prohibited players are flagged.
NFL personnel, which includes league-office employees, team employees, players, owners, coaches, trainers, officials, security and stadium workers, among others, cannot “place, solicit or facilitate any bet, whether directly or through a third party,” on any NFL game, practice or other league event, such as the draft or combine.
Players can wager on other sports, but not from league or team locations, a policy also in place in other major sports. The league now has more tools to identify where they’re placed and who made them.
After the suspensions in April, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) sent an email to all agents, alerting them that violations involved players betting by mobile apps on their phones while at training facilities or traveling with teams. “This is a violation of the NFL’s gambling policy,” Ned Ehrlich, the NFLPA’s associate general counsel, wrote.
In many states regulations require sportsbooks to retain an integrity firm. In Ohio, for example, monitors send reports of suspicious wagering to “the commission, its contracted sports gaming proprietors, all certified independent integrity monitors and appropriate sports governing bodies.”
The NFL provides training on its gambling policy to players, coaches and staff of all 32 teams.
“We are very explicit in the training to explain that if you are involved with the NFL, you can never bet on the NFL. There should be no misunderstanding on the policies,” David Highhill, a vice president and general manager who oversees sports betting for the NFL, told ESPN.
Deterrence might be the best tool the NFL has in combating violations to its gambling policy.
Based on analysis of information received by partners, the NFL says it found no indication of game manipulation in any of the recent suspensions. Signs of manipulation could include unexpected or unusual odds movement or suspicious betting patterns, such as a type of prop bet attracting more wagering than normal.
“We have seen no evidence of game manipulation to date,” Highhill wrote.
At least two NFL stadiums—Arizona’s State Farm Stadium and Washington’s FedEx Field—will have sportsbooks on premises this season. In March, league owners voted to allow the stadium sportsbooks to remain open on game days, a change in NFL policy. The league also allows up to six sportsbook commercials during game broadcasts.
“Professional sports leagues have largely embraced sports betting as a profitable venture,” Jeff Ifrah, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney who advises NFL players on the league’s gambling policy, told ESPN. “This is evidenced by the many in-person sportsbooks connected to sports stadiums and the advertising deals between the sports league and sports betting apps. Despite actively encouraging its fan base to bet, the NFL has implemented a zero-tolerance policy for its players.
“Most players who engage in sports betting are not doing anything illegal, they are simply not in compliance with a broad company policy governing player behavior.”
