Roger Goodell Asks Congress For ‘Uniform Standards’ In Sports Betting Statement
The NFL long has benefited from gambling — both legal and illegal — while also taking direct and indirect measures to benefit from gambling. The Oakland Raiders’ future move to Las Vegas would be the most recent example of that.
Yet the NFL also has tried to distance itself from gambling, and its holier-than-thou stance on sports betting was tested last week when the Supreme Court struck down a 1992 ruling that kept most states from legalizing sports betting. The Supreme Court decision essentially gives states the right to decide whether to legalize sports gambling, and it’s assumed some states won’t take long to take advantage of that development.
How the NFL maneuvers those waters remains to be seen, but we got our first idea Monday morning when commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement asking Congress to enact “uniform standards” for states that legalize sports betting that include, at minimum, these “four core principles:”
- There must be substantial consumer protections;
- Sports leagues can protect our content and intellectual property from those who attempt to steal or misuse it;
- Fans will have access to official, reliable league data; and
- Law enforcement will have the resources, monitoring and enforcement tools necessary to protect our fans and penalize bad actors here at home and abroad.
Goodell also stated there’s “no greater priority” for him as commissioner than to “protect the integrity of the sport,” and that the league will do everything possible to “ensure no improper influences affect how the game is played.”
You can read Goodell’s full statement below.
