The NFL Continues To Move The Goalposts On Gambling With The Las Vegas Raiders’ New Stadium

HacheMan · May 7, 2017

The NFL Continues To Move The Goalposts On Gambling With The Las Vegas Raiders’ New Stadium

Dustin Gouker
http://www.legalsportsreport.com/13892/nfl-las-vegas-raiders-stadium-casinos/

We already know that the NFL is wildly inconsistent when it comes to its handling of gambling issues.But the league continues to engage in a lot of mental gymnastics to determine what is and isn’t okay in relation to gambling as it gets ready to move the Oakland Raiders franchise to Las Vegas.

We saw yet more examples of that in a USA Today report looking into the gambling ties to the Raiders’ new stadium in Nevada.

NFL, gambling and the Raiders stadium

The article from Brent Schrotenboer makes no bones about the planned new home for the Raiders. He calls it “The House That Gambling Built.”
The article almost devolves into comedy as an NFL spokesperson tries to jump through hoops explaining how the Las Vegas Stadium Authority’s involvement doesn’t violate league rules on gambling. Caesars and MGM are both a part of that board.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy noted that the casino executives represent only two of nine board spots and that the authority will not have rights to football-related assets or control of the stadium on a day-to-day basis. He said the NFL does not consider a Stadium Authority an “owner” in the context of its gambling policy.

“We would look very carefully at the rights associated with the lease,” McCarthy told USA TODAY Sports. “So long as the essential controls and the economics are controlled by the team, we would not expect to view it as a problem with respect to our policies.”

Both of those casinos, of course, are involved in Nevada sports betting.

Just the latest hypocrisy for the NFL

The continued parsing of NFL policy when it comes to gambling interests comes after the revelation that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft sits on a board of a company with investments in companies with sports betting, including Caesars.

And of course we have myriad examples of the league cracking down on players when there’s even the whiff of involvement of gambling. We’ll likely have to wait to see if the NFL ask for Raiders games to be taken off the board, even though Commissioner Roger Goodell says the environment in Nevada could be “beneficial.” That’s despite the fact that the NFL continues to oppose the expansion legal sports betting.

It seems like just a matter of time until the NFL has to change its policies or move the goalposts even further to rationalize its relationship with casinos and Las Vegas.

Currently, casinos can advertise at NFL stadiums — see the Detroit Lions and the MGM Grand Detroit, or the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium for examples. But that’s only if they don’t have sports betting at the casino. That’s an easy hoop to jump through, as single-game sports betting is illegal outside of Nevada.

The NHL already changed its policy to allow the Las Vegas Golden Knights to have such deals. Unless the NFL wants to eschew taking money from every major casino in the state — pretty much all of them have a sportsbook or ties to one — something has to give.

Sports betting isn’t harming the NFL

The more we learn about the NFL and its gambling ties, the more weight we can add to the scale that regulated sports betting isn’t harming the league in any material way.

That argument that it does is wearing more thin with each passing day. The league would have a difficult time proving harm in court, should it argue that today. (While it’s too late for this in the New Jersey sports betting case, it’s possible if another state tries to legalize it.)
The league continues to draw new lines in the sand on gambling. When will the league just stop with its laughable stances and turn the corner on legal sports betting? We can all hope that day is coming soon.

Acebb · May 12, 2017

Check this out, from Gallup the public perception on issues.
65% think gambling is acceptable

The NFL and other sports leagues fighting this are using a yesteryear frame of reference...

PatsFan1283 · May 12, 2017

Following the legality of gambling at the state level through the lens of daily fantasy the last few years, there are a lot of special interests at the state and local level. This is an obvious point but it is even more than you would think in some states.

Tons of religious/conservative groups that object on moral grounds.

Then a lot of liberal/consumer watchdog type groups that just think legalization of vices is a tax on stupidity and will hurt the poor/irresponsible more.

Then you've got the existing gambling businesses in those states that own politicians and don't want any competition.

Sports leagues will probably come around as entertainment landscape continues to become more and more competitive but there are a lot of other obstacles.

HacheMan · May 12, 2017

PatsFan1283 said:
Following the legality of gambling at the state level through the lens of daily fantasy the last few years, there are a lot of special interests at the state and local level. This is an obvious point but it is even more than you would think in some states.

Tons of religious/conservative groups that object on moral grounds.

Then a lot of liberal/consumer watchdog type groups that just think legalization of vices is a tax on stupidity and will hurt the poor/irresponsible more.

Then you've got the existing gambling businesses in those states that own politicians and don't want any competition.

Sports leagues will probably come around as entertainment landscape continues to become more and more competitive but there are a lot of other obstacles.

What's your opinion on Legalized Sports Betting based on state to state preference, which would mean different rules & regulations, vs it being legalized nationally with the same rules across the board?

PatsFan1283 · May 12, 2017

My guess is the first one is more likely if I had to guess. Maybe the feds provide some basic framework and then states take it from there. With some states just opting out entirely.

It would be really hard to just have Nevada rules in all 50 states. Some states would want things like good credit scores, income verification, some restrictions on ease of use while others probably wouldn't care. Who knows really, future that far out tough to predict.

The Guesser · May 22, 2017

I'm thinking the next commish, whenever he comes in(I think Goodell's contract runs through 2019) will have a very different, and enlightened view of Sports gambling. much like Adam Silver of the NBA, and more in tune publicly, with what many of the NFL owners want. Goodell has been so vocal on this issue, it'll be tough for him to do such a drastic reversel if he hangs around.

HacheMan · May 23, 2017

The Guesser said:
I'm thinking the next commish, whenever he comes in(I think Goodell's contract runs through 2019) will have a very different, and enlightened view of Sports gambling. much like Adam Silver of the NBA, and more in tune publicly, with what many of the NFL owners want. Goodell has been so vocal on this issue, it'll be tough for him to do such a drastic reversel if he hangs around.

I agree