The NFL hated gambling, until it didn’t. More specifically, until it realized that millions could be made from cozying up to those who help make sports wagering available in 38 American states, and the District of Columbia.
But the league’s approach to gambling has a distinct “do as we say, not as we do” vibe.
Case in point, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media (i.e, the NFL) has shared details regarding a memo sent by the NFL on Thursday regarding the do’s and don’ts of gambling, as NFL and the Super Bowl prepare to descend on Las Vegas.
No player, non-player employed by a team, nor league employee may even enter a sportsbook during the playing season.
While that’s ordinarily not a big issue, it becomes a much different proposition in the days preceding a Super Bowl to be held in Las Vegas.
“You may not enter a sportsbook for any reason, at any time (including to eat or drink), while in Las Vegas for a Super Bowl,” the memo explains. “You may walk through a sportbook to access a permissible, adjacent area.”
In other words, walk but don’t linger. If it sounds weird, it is.
The NFL wants to profit from gambling sponsorships while preventing team and league employees from having any involvement in it. It has created a weird, clunky stew of rules that prevent non-player personnel from the participating teams in the Super Bowl from playing casino games and slot machines until after the Super Bowl has ended. For non-player personnel from teams not involved in the game, they are permitted to play casino games and slot machines while on personal time in Las Vegas.
If you work directly for the NFL, however, you’re SOL. There’s no gambling allowed, at any time.
The entire approach reeks of hypocrisy and confusion. It would be easier if the NFL decided that it hated gambling both before it became legal on a widespread basis — and after.
The May 2018 Supreme Court decision that opened the doors for state-by-state legalized wagering did not require the NFL to develop relationships with purveyors of gambling. The NFL could have continued to shun gambling and everything flowing from it. No money, no sponsorships, no revenue streams, nothing.
But the siren song of money for nothing is hard to ignore. Why miss out on millions based on principle? Why not use one hand to stuff pockets with gambling money while using the one hand to wag a finger at team and league employees who might be tempted to gamble?
Some league and team employees might not like it. But maybe they should consider it an indirect benefit plan. After all, if you can’t gamble, you can’t lose.