Roger Goodell: Integrity ‘No. 1’ priority as legalized gambling expands

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed gambling during his annual state of the league address on Monday, with Super Bowl LVIII taking place in the betting hub of Las Vegas on Sunday. The NFL’s gambling ties with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings, and FanDuel have fueled speculation about the league’s ethics. However, the league has addressed the problem in recent years by upgrading and implementing stronger gambling rules. Both athletes and league personnel are penalized for gambling and are prohibited from gambling or visiting casinos during Super Bowl week.

“It’s our top priority: gambling, and outside of gambling, the integrity of our game is critical,” Goodell told reporters in the Las Vegas Raiders locker room, where he held his news conference. “As a result, we devote a significant amount of effort to educating and ensuring that all of our employees are aware of our gambling policies in this situation, as well as any other policy that may compromise the integrity of our game. Ultimately, that is our major responsibility.

Goodell told reporters that he suspected 25 league and team personnel violated the NFL’s gambling rules, but he did not say whether they were all dismissed or what kind of penalties they received. The commissioner also stated that around 13 players had been reprimanded. The commissioner stated that betting on an NFL game could result in termination of a league office employee. According to the most recent gambling rules, players incur a one-year punishment for betting on the league and a two-year suspension for betting on their own team. Players who wager on other sports will be punished for two games without pay, six games for second offenses, and at least a year for third offenses.

“We take this incredibly seriously,” Goodell stated. “We realize the risk. We didn’t make the decision. Ultimately, the Supreme Court made the decision to authorize sports betting. We need to adjust. We need to embrace it. We’ve been cautious. I believe we have taken a really deliberate approach. But we understand the risk, and defending the integrity comes first.”