Goodell opposes legalized sports betting, but will not impose a gambling ban on Las Vegas Raiders games.
Contrary to rumors which spread in the past week, the NFL has no plan to impose a gambling ban on Las Vegas Raiders games, said Commissioner Roger Goodell this week. The NFL commissioner said his league not requested such a ban, nor does it plan to request a ban.
The NFL’s commissioner continues to support a ban on sports bettting in other parts of the United States, though he cites Nevada’s gaming laws as one reason the NFL is safe in Las Vegas. Roger Goodell said over the weekened, “You also have the regulatory of gambling there, which actually will be beneficial.”
NFL’s Restrictions on Player Gambling
Under current Nevada sports betting laws, casino sportsbooks accept wagers from anyone 21 years or older. The exeptions to the law are NFL officials and players. Such people cannot make bets on games, and casinos must stop them from making bets if they try.
At the same time, NFL players can enter Las Vegas casinos to gamble on non-sporting events. NFL rules read that players can enter “legally-operated casinos and horse or dog racing tracks” to bet on those forms of gambling, but not on sports. NFL officials can enter casinos, too, but they must inform the league within 24 hours of entering a casino that they did so.
Raiders Relocate to Las Vegas
Last week, the National Football League voted 31-1 to approve the Oakland Raiders’ relocation to Las Vegas. The move is planned for the fall of 2020, though the Raiders might move under certain circumstances in 2019. After the plans to move were approved, rumors swirled on the Internet that Commissioner Goodell had called for a betting ban on Raiders games when they entered the Las Vegas market.
The NFL Still Supports PASPA
No doubt, those rumors were the result of the NFL’s longstanding and (arguably) antiquated stance towards sports betting. The NFL league office still supports the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). The PASPA bans sports betting outright in 46 states, while restricting betting to “sports lotteries” in 3 other states. Only Nevada has legalized sportsbooks.
In times past, the unique nature of Las Vegas’s sports betting culture meant major sports like Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, or the National Football League would not permit teams to move to Las Vegas. Those leagues did not want even the hint of a connection to casino’s sportsbooks, or have league players visiting and co-mingling with gamblers and bookmakers in the week of a game. The league’s believed such associations could undermine public confidence in game results, or lead to general concerns about integrity.
Sports Leagues Soften Stance on Las Vegas
Then the NBA held its All-Star Game in Las Vegas in 2007. Then after a failed move by the Quebec Nordiques to the area in 2015, Las Vegas was awarded an NHL expansion franchise in June 2016, the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The NHL is no way on a par with the NFL, but it was a breakthrough for Las Vegas.
The changes in American attitudes towards gambling have had a tremendous impact on the move. When the PAPSA was passed in 1992, few states had tribal gambling. Now, 40 U.S. states have tribal casinos, so Americans are more used to see gambling in their midst. State-sanctioned lotteries are found in 45 states, while the multi-state lottery associations like Powerball and Mega Millions are seen in just as many states.
Online and mobile sports betting is rampant, even if it is illegal in the United States. Since sports bettors can gamble on their smartphone while commuting to work or waiting in the dentist’s office, most Americans see a ban on sports betting as somewhat realistic. The American Gaming Association claims 97% of sports betting in the United States every year is done illegally.
Tony Alamo on Nevada’s Safe Gaming Environment
Dr. Tony Alamo, the chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, has a simpler reason for the change in the NFL’s attitude. Dr. Alamo said this week it is the exemplary nature of Nevada’s regulatory system which made the Las Vegas Raiders palatable to the NFL. If the NFL’s owners and commissioner need a certain comfort level with gambling, that kind of comfort zone is only available in Nevada.
Chairman Alamo said, “The safest place on the planet to place a sports bet is Nevada. There is consumer protection, regulation and oversight. Because of our regulation, probably the best place on the planet to have a sporting event is Nevada.”
Roger Goodell’s Stance on Gambling
The Las Vegas Raiders won’t be playing in town for nearly 3 more years. There is a chance that Roger Goodell changes his stance on sports betting in the meantime. He might enact new policies in his own league, or Roger Goodell might request that the Nevada State Legislature put restrictions on gambling on Raiders’ games.
If so, one wonders whether lawmakers would accede to the NFL’s requests. For now, such questions are academic. Roger Goodell stated unequivocally he supports Las Vegas Strip sportsbooks treating Raiders’ games like they would any other NFL contest.
