Self-Service

Once opposed, NFL now welcomes sports betting with open arms

Image: iStock

February 9, 2024

Sports betting, once viewed by the National Football League as its greatest threat, has turned into a jackpot, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal.

When the NFL approved the Raiders' move to Las Vegas in 2017, Commissioner Roger Goodell was adamant that the league's long-held stance against sports betting not change. The team's owners viewed sports betting as an existential threat to football.

By 2018, the league reversed its opposition to sports betting, viewing it as an opportunity to engage fans and capitalize on sports gambling.

Commercials for book makers now dominate TV broadcasts.

Sunday's Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers will be played in Las Vegas, a city once feared would "poison" professional football.