On the brink of a full offseason without an NFL betting suspension, the league pulled back the curtain on its integrity safeguards and responsible gaming efforts.
In a media briefing Thursday, NFL betting executives discussed training mandates, updated policies and unveiled a robust network of agents who closely monitor each team.
Last summer, 10 players received various suspensions for violating the NFL betting policy. In a bid to prevent such controversies this season, the NFL says it has ramped up its approach to monitoring and educating players.
Mandatory team training added
For the first time, all 32 NFL teams will undergo mandatory in-person training on the league’s gambling policies before the season kicks off. The league instituted on a voluntary basis a version of the training last year.
Designed in collaboration with the NFL Players Association, the training includes insights from former players who provide personal perspectives on the importance of adhering to the league’s rules.
NFL Chief Compliance Officer Sabrina Perel emphasized that this year’s training will ensure that all players, coaches, and key personnel are well-versed in the league’s six key gambling rules.
What’s in NFL betting rules?
The rules tell key personnel not to:
- Bet on the NFL
- Have someone else place bets on the NFL on your behalf
- Share inside team information
- Gamble at your team facility or while traveling with the team
- Enter a sportsbook during the NFL season
- Participate in daily fantasy football
“Training has been mandatory for YEARS … difference is we are now in the facility training all 32 clubs in person … picture the entire team and coaches in a room being taken through training by a member of our staff – potentially along with a former player to get his perspective … players have chance to make comments/ask questions … just a higher level of education and training,” an NFL spokesperson said in an email.
More threats directed at NFL players, coaches, referees
The NFL has seen a rise in aggressive threats against players, coaches, and referees, according to Cathy Lanier, senior vice president of NFL Security.
“There’s a variety of reasons for these threats, anything from avid fandom to fantasy football frustrations but some of them are driven by sports betting losses,” Lanier said.
Her team is now able to put a league-wide ban on those who make criminal threats.
NFL betting monitors at games
Lanier detailed the roles of integrity representatives, former FBI agents, and senior police officers assigned to each team since 2018. These agents patrol the sidelines and press boxes during games and play a key role in monitoring legal betting markets.
“They have a hands-on active role on game days, but throughout the course of the year, (and) are doing a lot of other work as well,” Lanier said. “They are building those relationships and having ongoing dialogue with our sports regulators, our sports betting regulators, our operators, and those liaisons go a really long way if we have to follow up on information or conduct an investigation.”
The monitors coordinate with league partners like Genius Sports and U.S. Integrity, which track odds movements and unusual betting patterns that may be flagged for further investigation. They report unexpected shifts immediately to the on-site integrity representatives as potential red flags for game manipulation.
These representatives also collaborate with state regulators and assist in investigating any suspected breaches of gambling policies.
