The NFL has managed to get through the offseason without any gambling controversies. As the 2024 regular season approaches, the league is reminding everyone of the six basic rules that apply to players under the league’s betting policy.
As last year, the following provisions apply:
1. “NEVER bet on the NFL: Includes other NFL events such as the Draft, Combine, Pro Bowl and NFL Honors.”
2. “Don’t let anyone bet for you: Don’t ask your family, friends, or others to bet for you.”
3. “Do not gamble (no betting on sports, casino or card games) at your team’s stadium/accommodation, during an away match or while staying at a team hotel.”
4. “Do not share ‘inside information’ of the team: Do not share information that has not been disclosed by the team.”
5. “Don’t bet at a sportsbook during the NFL season.”
6. “Don’t play daily fantasy football.”
It’s basic, it’s simple, it’s accurate. But it’s not entirely complete. The six rules leave out one important fact: never bet on any sport in jurisdictions where gambling has not yet been legalized.
Some would say it’s an obvious point. Yet it’s an important one. With gambling now so widely accepted, advertised, and incorporated into NFL pregame shows, players in the remaining states where it hasn’t been legalized may feel it’s okay to bet on non-NFL events the old-fashioned way: through a bookmaker.
That’s a problem, and not just because it technically breaks the law in those states. The FanDuels and DraftKings of the world get your money up front. Bookmakers operate on credit. And, as we learned in the Shohei Ohtani/Ippei Mizuhara situation, that debt can grow. And grow. And grow.
That debt can be used to generate leverage, as apparently happened to former NBA player Jontay Porter. He left games early, gamblers put unders on his prop bets, and they made money — until it all blew up.
It’s not hard to fix. Currently there are six rules. Make it seven. Never bet on sports in a state where sports betting is illegal.
And why not take it a step further? Never use a private bookmaker to place your sports bets. Since they operate on credit, they are bound to still be around, even in states where legal apps are prevalent.
Since the FanDuels and DraftKings of this world have betrayed NFL players who used these apps, that’s yet another reason why players are placing bets in illegal ways that are actually legal.
There is no harm in adding it to the list. There can be harm in players thinking it is okay to bet on other sports with a bookmaker. And then, once the player has built up a huge debt, the things that happen after that may not be okay, for everyone.
