Why the NFL went all in on sports gambling
CNN
Twenty-one years ago, the NFL would not allow Super Bowl ads from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority because it didn’t want even a whiff of gambling associated with the sport. On Sunday, the league will hold its first Super Bowl in Las Vegas, a city built on gambling.
Twenty-one years ago, the National Football League would not allow Super Bowl ads from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority because it didn’t want even a whiff of gambling associated with the sport. On Sunday, the NFL will hold its first Super Bowl in Las Vegas, a city built on gambling. Even in 2003, gambling was as much a part of the NFL as tailgating, helmets and shoulder pads. Fans have been making bets on football since it was a semi-pro sport a century ago, when it was garnering far less attention than horse racing or boxing. And with the wagering on football came a boost in visibility and, indirectly, revenue. Despite moving its big game to Vegas, and partnering up with the companies focused on sports gambling, the NFL is still trying to keep the appearance of some distance between the sport and gaming. Players can be fined or even suspended if they place a bet at one of the Nevada’s many casinos or if they bet on league games, which was the case in June 2023. Yet the change in the league’s relationship with sports gambling couldn’t be more obvious as it prepares for its first Super Bowl in Sin City. “Obviously there’s a lot of hypocrisy going on here, but attitudes have changed a ton,” said Victor Matheson, professor of economics at the College of the Holy Cross, who teaches a class in The Economics of Gambling.
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