After a locust-like hiatus, the XFL returns this weekend. And it’s fully embracing something that the NFL still regards in many ways as a plague.
Michael McCarthy of FrontOfficeSports.com reports that the on-screen score “bug” (it’s an industry term) for FOX and ABC/ESPN broadcasts of XFL games will include the betting line and the over-under.
“The over/under and point spread will be incorporated in our on-screen dashboard for XFL games,” ESPN senior V.P. of production Lee Fitting told McCarthy. “When it’s appropriate, our announcers will also have conversations around the spread and over/under.”
Six states have authorized legal wagering on XFL games: New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Iowa, and Rhode Island. (In the other 44 states, there definitely will not be any illegal wagering on XFL games.)
The NFL continues to tread lightly when it comes to gambling, even though the league stands to earn billions from the various revenue possibilities and partnerships that sports betting brings to the table.