A comment made at a draft-day press conference by National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell has drawn renewed calls from the American Gaming Association for the U.S. Congress to repeal the federal ban on sports betting.
Goodell’s comment was not about sports betting; it was in reference to the Oakland Raiders’ efforts to move the team to Las Vegas. Goodell, whose general anti-gambling stance had been seen as a major roadblock to the potential move of an NFL franchise to the gaming capital, commented, “All of us have evolved a little on gambling. To me, where I cross the line is anything that can impact the integrity of the game. If people think it is something that can influence the outcome of a game, we are absolutely opposed to that.”
While many heralded the statement as a breakthrough for the NFL commissioner, his comment on gambling “impacting the integrity of the game” is the same position Goodell has taken in pursuing lawsuits for the NFL against any attempt to revive sports betting. He has been considered hypocritical by many for his steadfast opposition to a repeal of the sports betting ban while his league benefited from fantasy sports leagues, pumping advertising dollars into daily fantasy sports before several states ruled that DFS constitutes illegal gambling.
Goodell has maintained his opposition to sports betting on the grounds of integrity even as other sports commissioners, notably the NBA’s Adam Silver and the NHL’s Gary Bettman, have conceded that the federal ban should be re-examined.
The American Gaming Association was quick to respond to Goodell’s comments on gambling, linking the “integrity” comment directly to the need to legalize sports betting.
“Nothing threatens the integrity of sports more than a thriving and opaque sports betting black market where the bettors and those taking the bets hide in the shadows,” said AGA President and CEO Geoff Freeman in a statement. “Illegal sports wagering in the United States is conservatively estimated at $150 billion annually. The gaming industry invites those who are serious about protecting the integrity of sports to partner with us in pursuit of eliminating the sports betting black market.
“Recent research reveals that 80 percent of Super Bowl viewers believe it’s time to change sports betting law and 65 percent say legal, regulated sports betting would not jeopardize the integrity of games. We encourage the NFL to follow the leadership of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in embracing the integrity benefits of regulated sports betting and the interests of fans across the country.”
The latest push for regulated sports betting came a week after the AGA held a standing-room-only conference on the subject in Washington, D.C. “The World of Sports Betting and Safeguarding Sports Integrity” highlighted how technology is used in regulated sports betting markets to detect nefarious behavior, and featured luminaries such as the former CEO of the Liverpool Football Club and a former United Kingdom sports minister.
Led by Genius Sports Group, a technology company that monitors and identifies suspicious betting patterns, and AGA, experts from law enforcement, academia, professional sports leagues and government highlighted a broken federal law that encourages illicit activity and threatens the integrity of sports. Current law prohibits traditional sports betting outside of Nevada.
AGA estimated earlier this year that Americans wagered $4.2 billion on Super Bowl 50 and $9.2 billion on March Madness. Additionally, AGA found that 80 percent of Super Bowl viewers want to change current sports betting law and that March Madness brackets boost tournament viewership by 21 percent.
