The post Nevada Rep Lauds NFL For Revamped Sports Betting Policy, But Questions Remain appeared first on SportsHandle.

Over the summer, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hinted that changes were forthcoming in the league’s sports betting policy following a tumultuous period in which nearly a dozen players came under investigation for gambling-related violations.

Last week, the NFL instituted major changes to the policy in approving more stringent penalties against players caught betting on league games. Wagering on the NFL now carries an indefinite suspension of at least one year, which will rise to a minimum of two years if a player bets on his own team. If the NFL determines that a player fixes a game, he will be subject to a lifetime ban under the policy modifications.

At the same time, the NFL is easing penalties against players who wager on non-NFL sports from inside a club or league facility. Two players found to have done that, Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams and Titans offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere, had their six-game suspensions reduced to four. Players who are caught betting on non-NFL sports from a team facility will now receive a two-game suspension for their first offense.

“The NFL and NFL Players Association share a longstanding and unwavering commitment to protecting the integrity of the game. The NFL periodically reviews the gambling policy in consultation with the NFLPA and clubs to ensure it is responsive to changing circumstances and fully addresses this commitment,” the NFL and the NFLPA said in a joint statement last Friday.

The policy modifications come nearly three months after a prominent congresswoman from Nevada urged the NFL to provide greater transparency into the league’s protocols on gambling. U.S. Rep. Dina Titus in July called on the NFL to revamp policies she believed were unclear for NFLPA members, contending that some players did not know what was permissible under league rules. Following the changes, Titus applauded the NFL for creating a clearer delineation between wagering activity on non-football events and gambling that threatens the integrity of the game.

As the NFL turns the corner on the first month of the 2023 season, industry analysts will monitor the changes to determine if the new policies serve as a sufficient deterrent for players. The topic is expected to generate a considerable amount of discussion at next week’s Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas, one of the world’s largest gambling conferences.

Gambling in the workplace

The NFL suspended Williams among four Detroit Lions players in addition to Washington Commanders defensive lineman Shaka Toney in April for gambling violations during the 2022 season. Williams, who reportedly wagered on college games from the Lions’ facility, is slated to return on Sunday against the Panthers. Indianapolis Colts defensive back Isaiah Rodgers Jr. was subsequently suspended indefinitely after allegations surfaced of his pervasive wagering activity from the team practice facility.

Rodgers made hundreds of wagers on sports, a source with first-hand knowledge of the activity told Sports Handle, including some on his own team. ESPN later reported that Rodgers placed a four-figure wager on a rushing prop involving a teammate. Rodgers, according to the source, apparently made the wagers on a sportsbook account that belonged to a friend or an acquaintance. Players who place NFL wagers through a third-party or a proxy will be subject to a one-year suspension under the new policy.

The Colts waived Rodgers, since signed by the Philadelphia Eagles, on the same day he was suspended. Weeks later, Titus sent a letter to Goodell advising the league to design enhanced measures to prevent wagers by players before “they are placed.”

The NFL also suspended Denver Broncos defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike for the 2023-24 season, pushing the total of suspended players in the offseason to 10. According to an Iowa complaint, the former Iowa State lineman placed at least five wagers on the Broncos over a four-month period in the 2022 season.

Breaking — #Broncos DL Eyioma Uwazurike placed wagers on 5 games involving his team last season, according to an Iowa complaint unsealed on Tues. When asked by @sports_handle Tues if Uwazurike bet on any games featuring the Broncos, a Colo Div of Gaming official declined comment pic.twitter.com/ccumwXanqH

— Matt Rybaltowski (@MattRybaltowski) August 2, 2023

The NFL has not suspended any players for violating the gambling policy since the start of the season.

“The NFL and its Players Association took a step in the right direction toward transparency on sports betting. Clear, consistent, and appropriate penalties assure fans that the games they choose to bet on are fair,” Titus said in a statement.

Dissemination of inside info

Of the four major North American professional sports leagues, the NFL was the last to complete an authorized gaming operator program with leading sportsbook operators.

Before signing partnerships with a host of sportsbooks in April 2021, former NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith expressed concern about the unauthorized dissemination of information related to injuries for betting purposes. For instance, Giants running back Saquon Barkley has missed his team’s last two games with an ankle injury, and if a member of the Giants training staff were to provide information about his ability to play his next game, the intel could move the line by several points.

One change in the NFL’s policy calls for a one-year suspension to anyone who hands out inside information.

Significant changes to the NFL’s gambling policy. Bigger penalties, including the possibility of a lifetime ban, for betting on the NFL. Reductions in discipline for betting on other sports. Here is part of the memo that went to teams from the league and NFLPA. pic.twitter.com/MyO8Ya6pCL

— Judy Battista (@judybattista) September 29, 2023

By all indications, the NFL took a careful, deliberate approach to instituting the changes. The NFL received feedback from numerous active and former players, as well as the new NFLPA leadership, a source familiar with the process told Sports Handle. The core tenets of the policy remain the same: The NFL unequivocally wants proscriptive rules that prohibit players from wagering on the league.

A sportsbook executive who spoke to Sports Handle on the condition of anonymity emphasized that his company takes special steps to identify professional athletes who attempt to venture inside its facility. The executive would feel uncomfortable taking a bet made by a player on the success or failure of a teammate, under the rationale that it falls within the confines of “inside information.” The operator sees a distinction, however, for wagers placed by NFL athletes on other sports.

Policies in several North American leagues allow players to bet from their locker as long as it is on another sport. In the case of Williams, the Lions receiver, one interpretation of the NFL policy is that he cannot bet on any sports from the players’ parking lot at the team facility. But if Williams drove down the street to a fast-food joint with access to Wi-Fi, the wager does not violate league policy.

Prohibited bettor lists

Last month, before the start of the season, U.S. Integrity launched a cutting-edge tool that provides regulatory and compliance solutions through an encrypted, cross-monitoring platform. The platform from Prohibet allows regulators and sportsbooks to cross reference their prohibited bettor lists with player databases provided by the leagues. Through a tool known as “cryptographic hashing,” Prohibet converts a player’s “personal identifiable info” (PII) into an anonymized code.

While several leagues have expressed interest in potentially partnering with Prohibet, the product is still in its infancy. As the NCAA and the NFL dealt with a litany of player-betting scandals in the spring, an Iowa regulator told Sports Handle that only one league, the NBA, provided such lists to the state. In her letter to Goodell, Titus pressed the NFL on if the league provides a prohibited bettor list to integrity monitoring firms.

NFL Chief Compliance Officer Sabrina Perel has told Sports Handle that the league is working through the issue while remaining mindful of privacy concerns. The NFL did not address its stance on prohibited bettor lists in last Friday’s statement.

Jill R. Dorson contributed to this story

The post Nevada Rep Lauds NFL For Revamped Sports Betting Policy, But Questions Remain appeared first on SportsHandle.