{"id":32074,"date":"2015-10-26T18:00:08","date_gmt":"2015-10-27T01:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=32074"},"modified":"2015-10-26T18:00:43","modified_gmt":"2015-10-27T01:00:43","slug":"nfl-forced-to-defend-anti-sports-betting-stance-following-games-in-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/nfl-forced-to-defend-anti-sports-betting-stance-following-games-in-london\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Forced to Defend Anti-Sports Betting Stance Following Games in London"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"NFL
84,000 people flocked to watch two underwhelming NFL teams duke it out at London\u2019s Wembley Stadium. The NFL says it remains comfortably against sports betting despite the fact that dozens of betting shops are situated a stone\u2019s throw away. (Image: sbnation.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The NFL was facing accusations of hypocrisy this week over its much-publicized incursion into the UK.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, 84,000 people turned up to London\u2019s Wembley Stadium, usually the reserve of the England soccer team, to watch the Jacksonville Jaguars face off against the Buffalo Bills, hardly prime time viewing for even the most fevered of football fans.<\/p>\n

The league is trying to gauge the popularity of the game in the UK as it mulls the possibility of introducing a London franchise, and the sold-out stadium will come as a pleasant surprise to NFL commissioner Robert Goodel.<\/p>\n

It suggests, somewhat surprisingly, that there is indeed a large appetite in the UK for a sport that many Brits still like to refer to mischievously as \u201chand-egg.\u201d<\/p>\n

But how does this square with the NFL\u2019s trenchant anti-gambling stance?<\/p>\n

It was a question posed by Yahoo Sports\u2019 Dan Wetzel this week, who was in town for the game and observed that in the UK betting shops are \u201cas common as bakeries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hangover from the Forties and Fifties<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u201cIn London you can\u2019t go more than two city blocks without finding a wagering parlor, usually a small storefronts about the size of an old newsstand,\u201d he marveled. \u201cThere are two across the street from my hotel.<\/p>\n

One is next to a Subway. It\u2019s so integrated into daily life that it is almost impossible to imagine that it could be against the law in the United States.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fun. It\u2019s simple. It\u2019s protected. The NFL is there. NBA. College football. It\u2019s not even as daunting as dealing with a major sports book in Vegas. It\u2019s incredibly easy and welcoming,\u201d he added. \u201cSports wagering isn\u2019t just legal here; it is convenient and easy. The British [\u2026] long ago realized that people like to bet on sports and prohibiting it is fruitless and pointless.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The NFL\u2019s distaste for gambling is probably a hangover from the forties and fifties, when the sport was plagued by match-fixing scandals.<\/p>\n

However, today, the league\u2019s support of daily fantasy sports has, in the eyes of many, undermined its position and has opened it up to accusations that it has abandoned its scruples in the search of profit.<\/p>\n

\u201cLegalized gambling is part of the culture in that country and we are comfortable conforming with [sic] the cultural norms of where we play,\u201d NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told NBC Sports when asked about the uneasy relationship between the league the UK\u2019s liberal gambling laws.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe Don\u2019t Dictate the Laws\u201d<\/b><\/h2>\n

Goodel was forced to answer the very same question in a court of law when, three years ago, the major sports leagues launched legal action to prevent New Jersey<\/a> from legalizing sports betting at its racetracks and casinos.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we\u2019re playing in their country,\u00a0we\u2019re coming to them,\u201d he reasoned. \u201cAnd we\u2019re only there for a short period of time; we\u2019re there for two or three days.\u00a0It\u2019s not what we choose, it\u2019s not what we believe is in the best interests of sports, but we don\u2019t dictate the rules or the laws.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nevada recently declared daily fantasy sports<\/a> to be gambling and asserted that operators must apply for a sports betting license in order to continue operating in the state.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, New Jersey is unlikely to offer the sports leagues any favors in the light of their constant derailment of its plans to regulate sports betting, and will probably follow Nevada\u2019s suit.<\/p>\n

Except that New Jersey won\u2019t be able to license DFS sports betting because the leagues have, so far, prohibited them from regulating sports betting.<\/p>\n

The NFL\u2019s foray into London is making a mockery of its anti-sports betting stance, and increasing calls for fantasy sports to be defined as sports betting, pure and simple, are further undermining its arguments.<\/p>\n

As time goes on the league\u2019s position may become increasingly more difficult to defend. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The NFL was facing accusations of hypocrisy this week over its much-publicized incursion into the UK. On Sunday, 84,000 people turned up to London\u2019s Wembley Stadium, usually the reserve of the England soccer team, to watch the Jacksonville Jaguars face off against the Buffalo Bills, hardly prime time viewing for even the most fevered of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":32075,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,16],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNFL Forced to Defend Anti-Sports Betting Stance Following Games in London<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"NFL wants franchise in UK where betting shops are \u201cas common as bakeries.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NFL Forced to Defend Anti-Sports Betting Stance Following Games in London\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"NFL wants franchise in UK where betting shops are \u201cas common as bakeries.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/nfl-forced-to-defend-anti-sports-betting-stance-following-games-in-london\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-10-27T01:00:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-10-27T01:00:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/London_1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1073\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"804\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/nfl-forced-to-defend-anti-sports-betting-stance-following-games-in-london\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/nfl-forced-to-defend-anti-sports-betting-stance-following-games-in-london\/\",\"name\":\"NFL Forced to Defend Anti-Sports Betting Stance Following Games in London\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/nfl-forced-to-defend-anti-sports-betting-stance-following-games-in-london\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/nfl-forced-to-defend-anti-sports-betting-stance-following-games-in-london\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/London_1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-10-27T01:00:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-10-27T01:00:43+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77\"},\"description\":\"NFL wants franchise in UK where betting shops are \u201cas common as bakeries.\u201d\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/nfl-forced-to-defend-anti-sports-betting-stance-following-games-in-london\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/nfl-forced-to-defend-anti-sports-betting-stance-following-games-in-london\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/nfl-forced-to-defend-anti-sports-betting-stance-following-games-in-london\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/London_1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/London_1.jpg\",\"width\":1073,\"height\":804,\"caption\":\"84,000 people flocked to watch two underwhelming NFL teams duke it out at London\u2019s Wembley Stadium. 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