Super Sunday a day for super wagers
By Leo Roth, Rochester (N.Y) Democrat and Chronicle
Like millions of other fans around the country, Rochester's Doug Jones will tune in to Sunday night's Super Bowl.
It's not that he particularly likes the Pittsburgh Steelers or Seattle Seahawks. Or Super quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger or Matt Hasselbeck. It's not that he feels a need to be a part of an unofficial national holiday.
Jones, 36, an accounts payable analyst for Preferred Care, likes to gamble on sports. And no sport comes close to drawing action from bettors like the National Football League.
"I've always found it difficult to watch the (Super Bowl) games and I always have a friendly bet on it, nothing really significant unless it's with a bookie," Jones said. "It'll be $5, $10 or $20, just to get the blood flowing before kickoff. That's what it's all about in my opinion. The NFL is driven by gambling."
Even though betting on sports is outlawed in every state except Nevada and Oregon (where the state runs a sports lottery), a lot of people are doing it. According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, seven out of 10 adults gamble at least once a year, with the NFL the undisputed betting sport of choice.
Big money
Each weekend during the regular season, an estimated $40 million is bet on NFL games legally in Nevada but another $2 billion to $5 billion illegally everywhere else thanks to the unabated growth of off-shore Internet sites, professional bookies, casual office and bar pools and fantasy leagues.
The Super Bowl is America's single biggest betting day. USA TODAY sports analyst Danny Sheridan estimates more than $7 billion in legal and illegal wagers will change hands.
"It's not like we have a study in front of us, but I can give anecdotal information and I know that when we've done stings in the past and they are timed around major sporting events, those net either the most money or a lot of bets," Monroe County District Attorney Mike Green said. "Certainly, something like the Super Bowl is a major draw."
Experts contend that the very things that make the NFL popular to watch — a compact schedule of 14 or 16 games per week, competitive balance, the majority of games available on free network television — also make it popular and easy to bet on.
A mountain of information is readily available on each team and it doesn't take much knowledge to make an educated bet.
"My contention is that the most popular sport in the country isn't NFL football, it's gambling," said Rochester radio host Brad Davies, who devotes his entire three-hour Friday sports show during the NFL season to having callers pick games against the point spread. "It makes that Sunday night Cleveland Browns vs. Arizona Cardinals game worth watching. It's the only sport where people will sit through a dog game because they have money on it."
When giving their picks, enthusiastic callers to Davies' show can get more worked up than a middle linebacker on first and goal.
"Everyone thinks they're smarter than the next guy when it comes to betting football," adds Davies, who takes about 40 calls per betting show. "I guess the game lends itself to that. You don't have to know every starter on a team's offensive line, you just need to know the starting quarterback and running back to have a sense about who's going to win."
Jones, whose on-air nickname is "Bones," is a regular contributor to Davies' show. He admits to being "knee deep" in gambling, winning and losing as much as $3,000 in a single weekend of college and pro football betting. When the father of two is in a sports bar, his head is on swivel checking out all the scores.
"I think (the NFL's) product is good, but it's tenfold better because of the gambling aspect," Jones said. "It's all about the adrenaline rush you get from having something on the line. I just can't get that from merely watching a game start to finish."
Hardly a secret
Ever conscious of the league's image and integrity, NFL administrators are uneasy acknowledging that their game is wildly popular with bettors. But it's also undeniable that the league profits from the relationship.
Realizing that anything that sparks interest is good for business, the NFL walks a fuzzy line on the gambling issue. Heck, someone probably had a bet on Rutgers vs. Princeton in 1869, the game that started all the fuss.
"We weren't created to be a gambling vehicle. That we are was created by others," said Greg Aiello, NFL vice president of public relations. "It doesn't mean we approve of it or think it's positive, it's just the way it is."
So intertwined is the NFL and gambling that the two are perceived as inseparable. It's hardly a dirty little secret.
After Pittsburgh's 21-18 upset of the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional round of the playoffs, Steelers receiver Hines Ward blurted, "A lot of people in Vegas lost money on us today," leaving his bosses cringing.
A day later, USA TODAY ran a huge advertisement that the movie Two for the Money— with a plot centered around football betting — was being released on DVD.
The NFL link to gambling is nothing new:
• The NFL's own television partners have featured the likes of prognosticators Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder and Hank Goldberg giving their picks.
• Football magazines promoting the NFL are jam packed with advertisements for casinos and tout services and Internet gambling sites.
• Celebrity coaches and players, such as Bum Phillips and ex-Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly, have become spokesmen for such entities.
• The NFL has a fantasy football section on its own website that gives out information beneficial to gamblers.
Still, the NFL lobbied in support of the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which essentially prevented the spread of legalized sports gambling beyond its existence in Las Vegas.
Players and all league personnel, meanwhile, work under a strict policy regarding gambling, with players subject to lifetime bans for betting on games, taking bribes to fix games, even "associating with gamblers or gambling activities in a manner tending to bring discredit to the NFL."
"The integrity of the game is our most important asset," Aiello said. "Our policies focus on the conduct of our own employees and to make sure there are no gambling influences on our game, and to make sure our game isn't corrupted by gambling in any way."
One irony for the NFL is that by working hard to keep its game clean, it has encouraged more betting on its games.
In Mexico, where betting on sports is legal, fans prefer betting on the NFL over their own pro soccer games, perceived as fixed. The NFL views Mexico as a leader for international expansion, staging its first regular-season game in Mexico City last fall
Meanwhile, the explosion of thousands of online sports books, allowing people to bet from the privacy of their homes as long as they have a phone or computer, is a growing problem for law enforcement. Foreign Internet sites located in places such Costa Rica and Canada violate U.S. law by providing unlicensed gambling on domestic soil.
Hall of Fame athletes like Kelly have lent legitimacy to such operations with their name. On SportsInteraction.com, Kelly urges fans to add "an extra buzz to every game" by placing a bet.
Bills Hall of Fame lineman Joe DeLamielleure is a celebrity host for Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls.
Aiello said the league discourages such activity but "we have no jurisdiction over former players and coaches not working in the NFL."
As for its involvement in fantasy football, the league has left itself open for criticism. Fantasy football is a multi-million dollar industry because fans generally compete against each other for money or prizes. The league doesn't feel it is being hypocritical by offering fantasy players action on NFL.com.
"Fantasy football is not viewed by any governmental body as gambling. In fact, it is not gambling," Aiello said. "It's a game of skill where you have to pick the right players and compete against other people. It connects fans closer to the game and they have a good time. That's why we support it."
But what if people play for a pot of money at the end of the season?
"Well, we can't control that, just as we can't control outsiders gambling on our games," Aiello said.
Players on alert
In 1963, the NFL suspended Green Bay star Paul Hornung for the season for gambling. Years later, former Indianapolis quarterback Art Schlichter threw away his career over gambling addiction.
Today's player is warned repeatedly about the pitfalls of associating with known gamblers and betting on games. Educational seminars and signs in locker rooms get the word out. NFL and individual team security staffs maintain contact with law enforcement all over the country, including the FBI, to police gambling's influence on their sport.
In Buffalo, the development of casino gambling in the area has meant the team must be even more vigilant.
Players aren't banned from frequenting casinos or racetracks. But there's a concern that if one rang up gambling debts, he could be influenced to throw a game.
Bills safety Troy Vincent, president of the NFL players association, said that's not likely given the fact players earn so much money these days, but he admits anything is possible once a player leaves the stadium.
"In my era, they've done a good job of putting up alerts," Vincent said. "It's zero tolerance. I think that's been the deterrent for players. I'm sure there are players who have and do (gamble), but it's zero tolerance. It's one strike and done. Lifetime ban. Players know it's taboo."
Bills players do receive mixed messages on the casino issue. Seneca Niagara leases a 200-plus-person suite at Ralph Wilson Stadium and the team's alumni association held a function at the casino last fall. The team does not accept casino advertising at Ralph Wilson Stadium, a spokesman said.
Kicker Rian Lindell, whose field goals influence the point spreads every Sunday, said that to avoid trouble he simply tries to steer clear of environments where gambling is taking place.
"The casinos are not necessarily off limits to us but we're told to be smart about it," he said.
Rookies are often targets of serious or professional gamblers, who first befriend them, then pump them for "inside" information that could be used in placing bets.
"Being a young guy, there are people who would like to take advantage of you," Bills rookie lineman Duke Preston said. "The NFL is good in making us aware there is that element out there. There is a lot of money to be made on that kind of information and they're willing to do things to get it."
Players are instructed on how to answer questions from fans, even the media, regarding starting lineups and injuries.
"There are things to watch for, guys asking a lot of questions about injuries or who's playing well, how the matchups look," Preston said. "You learn in a lot of cases to be vague and talk in general terms. Once you avert a situation once or twice, they won't come around again trying to work the angles."
By Leo Roth, Rochester (N.Y) Democrat and Chronicle
Like millions of other fans around the country, Rochester's Doug Jones will tune in to Sunday night's Super Bowl.
It's not that he particularly likes the Pittsburgh Steelers or Seattle Seahawks. Or Super quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger or Matt Hasselbeck. It's not that he feels a need to be a part of an unofficial national holiday.
Jones, 36, an accounts payable analyst for Preferred Care, likes to gamble on sports. And no sport comes close to drawing action from bettors like the National Football League.
"I've always found it difficult to watch the (Super Bowl) games and I always have a friendly bet on it, nothing really significant unless it's with a bookie," Jones said. "It'll be $5, $10 or $20, just to get the blood flowing before kickoff. That's what it's all about in my opinion. The NFL is driven by gambling."
Even though betting on sports is outlawed in every state except Nevada and Oregon (where the state runs a sports lottery), a lot of people are doing it. According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, seven out of 10 adults gamble at least once a year, with the NFL the undisputed betting sport of choice.
Big money
Each weekend during the regular season, an estimated $40 million is bet on NFL games legally in Nevada but another $2 billion to $5 billion illegally everywhere else thanks to the unabated growth of off-shore Internet sites, professional bookies, casual office and bar pools and fantasy leagues.
The Super Bowl is America's single biggest betting day. USA TODAY sports analyst Danny Sheridan estimates more than $7 billion in legal and illegal wagers will change hands.
"It's not like we have a study in front of us, but I can give anecdotal information and I know that when we've done stings in the past and they are timed around major sporting events, those net either the most money or a lot of bets," Monroe County District Attorney Mike Green said. "Certainly, something like the Super Bowl is a major draw."
Experts contend that the very things that make the NFL popular to watch — a compact schedule of 14 or 16 games per week, competitive balance, the majority of games available on free network television — also make it popular and easy to bet on.
A mountain of information is readily available on each team and it doesn't take much knowledge to make an educated bet.
"My contention is that the most popular sport in the country isn't NFL football, it's gambling," said Rochester radio host Brad Davies, who devotes his entire three-hour Friday sports show during the NFL season to having callers pick games against the point spread. "It makes that Sunday night Cleveland Browns vs. Arizona Cardinals game worth watching. It's the only sport where people will sit through a dog game because they have money on it."
When giving their picks, enthusiastic callers to Davies' show can get more worked up than a middle linebacker on first and goal.
"Everyone thinks they're smarter than the next guy when it comes to betting football," adds Davies, who takes about 40 calls per betting show. "I guess the game lends itself to that. You don't have to know every starter on a team's offensive line, you just need to know the starting quarterback and running back to have a sense about who's going to win."
Jones, whose on-air nickname is "Bones," is a regular contributor to Davies' show. He admits to being "knee deep" in gambling, winning and losing as much as $3,000 in a single weekend of college and pro football betting. When the father of two is in a sports bar, his head is on swivel checking out all the scores.
"I think (the NFL's) product is good, but it's tenfold better because of the gambling aspect," Jones said. "It's all about the adrenaline rush you get from having something on the line. I just can't get that from merely watching a game start to finish."
Hardly a secret
Ever conscious of the league's image and integrity, NFL administrators are uneasy acknowledging that their game is wildly popular with bettors. But it's also undeniable that the league profits from the relationship.
Realizing that anything that sparks interest is good for business, the NFL walks a fuzzy line on the gambling issue. Heck, someone probably had a bet on Rutgers vs. Princeton in 1869, the game that started all the fuss.
"We weren't created to be a gambling vehicle. That we are was created by others," said Greg Aiello, NFL vice president of public relations. "It doesn't mean we approve of it or think it's positive, it's just the way it is."
So intertwined is the NFL and gambling that the two are perceived as inseparable. It's hardly a dirty little secret.
After Pittsburgh's 21-18 upset of the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional round of the playoffs, Steelers receiver Hines Ward blurted, "A lot of people in Vegas lost money on us today," leaving his bosses cringing.
A day later, USA TODAY ran a huge advertisement that the movie Two for the Money— with a plot centered around football betting — was being released on DVD.
The NFL link to gambling is nothing new:
• The NFL's own television partners have featured the likes of prognosticators Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder and Hank Goldberg giving their picks.
• Football magazines promoting the NFL are jam packed with advertisements for casinos and tout services and Internet gambling sites.
• Celebrity coaches and players, such as Bum Phillips and ex-Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly, have become spokesmen for such entities.
• The NFL has a fantasy football section on its own website that gives out information beneficial to gamblers.
Still, the NFL lobbied in support of the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which essentially prevented the spread of legalized sports gambling beyond its existence in Las Vegas.
Players and all league personnel, meanwhile, work under a strict policy regarding gambling, with players subject to lifetime bans for betting on games, taking bribes to fix games, even "associating with gamblers or gambling activities in a manner tending to bring discredit to the NFL."
"The integrity of the game is our most important asset," Aiello said. "Our policies focus on the conduct of our own employees and to make sure there are no gambling influences on our game, and to make sure our game isn't corrupted by gambling in any way."
One irony for the NFL is that by working hard to keep its game clean, it has encouraged more betting on its games.
In Mexico, where betting on sports is legal, fans prefer betting on the NFL over their own pro soccer games, perceived as fixed. The NFL views Mexico as a leader for international expansion, staging its first regular-season game in Mexico City last fall
Meanwhile, the explosion of thousands of online sports books, allowing people to bet from the privacy of their homes as long as they have a phone or computer, is a growing problem for law enforcement. Foreign Internet sites located in places such Costa Rica and Canada violate U.S. law by providing unlicensed gambling on domestic soil.
Hall of Fame athletes like Kelly have lent legitimacy to such operations with their name. On SportsInteraction.com, Kelly urges fans to add "an extra buzz to every game" by placing a bet.
Bills Hall of Fame lineman Joe DeLamielleure is a celebrity host for Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls.
Aiello said the league discourages such activity but "we have no jurisdiction over former players and coaches not working in the NFL."
As for its involvement in fantasy football, the league has left itself open for criticism. Fantasy football is a multi-million dollar industry because fans generally compete against each other for money or prizes. The league doesn't feel it is being hypocritical by offering fantasy players action on NFL.com.
"Fantasy football is not viewed by any governmental body as gambling. In fact, it is not gambling," Aiello said. "It's a game of skill where you have to pick the right players and compete against other people. It connects fans closer to the game and they have a good time. That's why we support it."
But what if people play for a pot of money at the end of the season?
"Well, we can't control that, just as we can't control outsiders gambling on our games," Aiello said.
Players on alert
In 1963, the NFL suspended Green Bay star Paul Hornung for the season for gambling. Years later, former Indianapolis quarterback Art Schlichter threw away his career over gambling addiction.
Today's player is warned repeatedly about the pitfalls of associating with known gamblers and betting on games. Educational seminars and signs in locker rooms get the word out. NFL and individual team security staffs maintain contact with law enforcement all over the country, including the FBI, to police gambling's influence on their sport.
In Buffalo, the development of casino gambling in the area has meant the team must be even more vigilant.
Players aren't banned from frequenting casinos or racetracks. But there's a concern that if one rang up gambling debts, he could be influenced to throw a game.
Bills safety Troy Vincent, president of the NFL players association, said that's not likely given the fact players earn so much money these days, but he admits anything is possible once a player leaves the stadium.
"In my era, they've done a good job of putting up alerts," Vincent said. "It's zero tolerance. I think that's been the deterrent for players. I'm sure there are players who have and do (gamble), but it's zero tolerance. It's one strike and done. Lifetime ban. Players know it's taboo."
Bills players do receive mixed messages on the casino issue. Seneca Niagara leases a 200-plus-person suite at Ralph Wilson Stadium and the team's alumni association held a function at the casino last fall. The team does not accept casino advertising at Ralph Wilson Stadium, a spokesman said.
Kicker Rian Lindell, whose field goals influence the point spreads every Sunday, said that to avoid trouble he simply tries to steer clear of environments where gambling is taking place.
"The casinos are not necessarily off limits to us but we're told to be smart about it," he said.
Rookies are often targets of serious or professional gamblers, who first befriend them, then pump them for "inside" information that could be used in placing bets.
"Being a young guy, there are people who would like to take advantage of you," Bills rookie lineman Duke Preston said. "The NFL is good in making us aware there is that element out there. There is a lot of money to be made on that kind of information and they're willing to do things to get it."
Players are instructed on how to answer questions from fans, even the media, regarding starting lineups and injuries.
"There are things to watch for, guys asking a lot of questions about injuries or who's playing well, how the matchups look," Preston said. "You learn in a lot of cases to be vague and talk in general terms. Once you avert a situation once or twice, they won't come around again trying to work the angles."
