We now have an answer as to why the NFL has seemed to embrace fantasy sports while shunning sports betting: the league doesn’t consider fantasy games to be gambling.
Roger Goodell, NFL ‘don’t look at fantasy sports as gambling’
Testimony from a 2012 sports betting case in New Jersey provides an unvarnished look into how the NFL views the fantasy sports phenomenon.
Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports
Testimony from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and a league executive in a 2012 case over whether to legalize some sports betting in New Jersey was published Wednesday, and it provides a glimpse into how the league views the fantasy sports phenomenon. Goodell said the NFL separates fantasy games from betting, because they're not contingent on the outcome of a contest. They're based on the performances of individual players.
These comments from Goodell have come to light at an opportune time, given the proliferation of DraftKings and FanDuel ads on NFL games this season. Though the league itself doesn’t have an agreement with either daily fantasy sports startup, 28 clubs do.
The NFL remains opposed to sports gambling, and event went as far as to shut down Tony Romo’s fantasy football convention this offseason because it was slated to be held on a casino property. But the league’s objection to gambling has nothing to do with morality. It’s all about money.
Lawrence Ferazani, senior labor litigation counsel for the NFL, said the league doesn’t embrace gambling because it thinks it would negatively affect its brand. Per David Purdum of ESPN:
“The NFL is in a revenue-generating business,” Ferazani said. “If the NFL believes that sports gambling would allow it to increase its revenue, the NFL would engage in that activity. Based upon our studies and analysis, we know that [sports betting] will negatively impact our long-term relationship with our fans, negatively impact the perception of our sport across the country.“All four professional sports leagues and the NCAA are suing New Jersey to prohibit it from offering legal sports betting at its racetracks and casinos. The case is currently in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
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