Since last year’s Supreme Court decision granted individual states the right to regulate sports betting as they see fit, there’s been a lot of speculation about what the U.S.’s leading sports league’s stance will be on the matter. While the other major leagues seem at least open to the idea (that would bring them considerable revenues in the long run), the NFL seemed unwavering on its decision not to embrace or endorse it, thus protecting the integrity of professional football. After last year’s Supreme Court decision, the tone of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell remained unfriendly – he seems to consider sports betting to be a potential “improper influence” on football, and calls for strict regulation, substantial consumer protections, strict rules on the use of intellectual property, and strict monitoring and enforcement tools to protect the fans and to penalize bad actors. This in spite of the fact that the size and power of the underground and offshore sports betting market in the U.S. has been an open secret for years.
Caesars Sponsorship Deal: NFL Slowly Opening Up to Sports Betting
Being anti-betting seems not to mean being anti-gambling for the NFL, though – the league has recently signed a sponsorship deal with Caesars, the biggest casino operator in the United States. The deal only refers to Caesars’ casinos, though, and excludes sports betting and fantasy sports at this time – but, according to some, it does signal the fact that the NFL’s decision-makers might “cozy up” with the idea of regulated sports betting (and the revenue it has the potential to generate for them) that may help the league achieve its ultimate goal: to raise its annual revenue to $25 billion by 2027.
How does it work overseas?
Sports betting has been legal and regulated in Europe for ages.
Some of the big names that dominate the European sports betting market include Bet365, Paddy Power, Sweden’s Unibet and international betting groups like Betway, present on pretty much every regulated market in the world. And their influence on the world of professional sports is perceived as positive – these companies are pouring considerable amounts into sports as a whole.
And when it comes to concerns about the integrity of sports, it’s good to know that these betting giants are not just sitting on their hands but are actively fighting for it. They have formed the ESSA (Sports Betting Integrity), an industry group gathering all the major players in the industry to detect and prevent match-fixing, considered one of the greatest threats to the integrity of professional sports. This is done by pinpointing any suspicious betting patterns and reporting them to the authorities.
The sports betting industry has understood that it’s in its best interest to keep illegal bets and fixers out of the field, and it is playing an active part in fighting it. And the system works.
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