SportingNews.com: NFL Continuing Its Self-Serving Gambling Policies With Romo Action
Following the National Football League’s demand to shut down a Fantasy Sports-themed Vegas event originally to be held next month, a number of players, including Cowboys stars Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, have called out the NFL.
Romo was actually the one organizing the event, which the league says was in violation of policy prohibiting its players from making public appearances on casino properties.
Now the well-regarded sports publication and website Sporting News has blasted the NFL for what it calls a “self-serving” gambling policy.
Romo said he was blindsided by the league's decision.
“We didn’t realize the NFL had trouble with the venue.” Romo told 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “We had plenty of people from the NFL working this event from early on. The NFL ended up outlawing employees, this week, from the event.”
Marc Lesnick, organizer of the upcoming first ever Daily Fantasy Sports Expo in Miami Beach tells Gambling911.com: “All these players are welcome to attend our event, which will not be held anywhere remotely close to a casino.”
Marcus DeNitto of SportingNews.com writes of the NFL’s draconian stance:
The NFL’s move is a continuation of its inconsistent policies toward gambling. The league allows its teams to sell sponsorships to casinos. FanDuel, a daily fantasy game site, recently signed marketing partnerships with 15 NFL teams (FanDuel also has an advertising relationship with Sporting News). There are NFL games played in London, where betting on the games is legal. The commonality among these endeavors? The NFL makes money on them.
Yet, in addition to preventing Romo's fantasy event from happening in Las Vegas, the NFL is fighting tooth-and-nail to prevent the legalization of sports wagering in the state of New Jersey. The league argues that legalized wagering could affect the integrity of its games.
Not a lot of people are buying that argument.
Some believe, rather, the league wants to figure out how to make money from sports betting before endorsing its legalization.
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
