The NFL has turned up the mandatory gambling education and training requirements for all teams this season starting with minicamps and training camps across the league.
Offseason Success
It has been 13 months since any NFL player was suspended for gambling infractions and the league wants to keep it that way. Therefore, the league has now mandated in-person education for staff and players on the do’s and don’ts of sports betting at top-rated sportsbooks.
The education and training programs are being conducted in concert with the NFL Players Association. The rules will be clearly articulated including the two most important, which are:
- Never bet on NFL games.
- No gambling in any shape or form while with the team.
Sabrina Perel, the NFL’s Chief Compliance Officer, said, “We learned from last year when in-person education was optional, the benefits of presenting in-person, including increased engagement and awareness, the opportunity for players to ask questions. So, for all 32 teams this year, the education was conducted at the team facility during minicamps or training camp.”
The education programs are conducted by an NFL Compliance officer, a team’s head of player engagement, or by former NFL players. There are reports that two top rookie draft choices this season, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, and Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers, each received “multiple education training sessions” after Nabers blurted out on a podcast that the two had made a $10,000 bet with each other as to who would win the Offensive Rookie of the Year.
NFL’s Golden Gambling Rules
In addition to players being prohibited from gambling, so too are the employees and personnel of every team in the league. The NFL’s primary six rules concerning gambling are as follows:
- Never bet on the NFL. This includes other NFL events such as the draft, combine, Pro Bowl, and NFL Honors.
- Don’t have someone bet for you. Do not ask family, friends, or others to place a bet for you.
- Don’t gamble (no bets on sports, casino, or card games) at your team facility or stadium, while traveling for a road game or staying at a team hotel.
- Don’t share team ‘inside information’. Don’t share information that hasn’t been announced by the team.
- Don’t enter a sportsbook during the NFL playing season.
- Don’t play daily fantasy football.
The NFL now has an integrity representative assigned to each team to ensure there is nothing nefarious going on at the stadium on game day or suspicious activity online concerning betting odds on sides, totals, team props, player props, and anything else related to gambling.
Anna Isaacson, the NFL’s Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility, stated, “We have a very long history of supporting critical societal issues, and accommodating responsible gambling is an issue that we know is impacting people all across the country.”
The NFL has also reengaged with the National Council on Problem Gambling with a three-year, $6.4 million grant. “The world has changed dramatically as it relates to sports betting, and it’s incumbent on us to maintain the integrity of our game against those new challenges that have come up the last few years,” said Miller, the NFL’s Executive Vice President of communications, public affairs, and policy.
