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June 21 (UPI) — In response to recent suspensions and investigations related to gambling, the NFL has announced that it will strengthen its gambling policy for the 2023 season. This includes mandatory education sessions and in-person visits for players. NFL officials held a conference call on Tuesday to share the “key rules” that players must adhere to.
“The world has changed over the last few years,” stated Jeff Miller, NFL executive vice president of communications, during the call with reporters. “The availability of our phones and the ease of placing bets on various things has increased significantly.”
The reinforced rules for players include refraining from betting on the NFL, avoiding gambling at team facilities, while traveling for away games, and staying at team hotels, as well as not having others place bets on their behalf. Additionally, players must not share inside information, enter sportsbooks during the NFL season, or participate in daily fantasy football. The ban on NFL betting also extends to wagers on the NFL Draft, combine, Pro Bowl, flag football events, and the NFL Honors.
Furthermore, players are prohibited from betting on any activity, even from their phones, while at team facilities, stadiums, parking lots, during team road trips, while traveling on team planes or buses, at team hotels, or during any other team-related business.
Rookies are now required to attend mandatory education sessions, and league officials will visit team facilities to provide clarity on prohibited activities. While NFL players are allowed to participate in full-season fantasy football leagues, the payout must not exceed $250. NFL coaches and staff members are completely prohibited from betting on any sport, including college, professional, and Olympic events.
The NFL will collaborate with sportsbooks and external monitoring firms to monitor player activity. The league has existing business partnerships with Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel, and allows sportsbooks to operate in its stadiums.
In April, the NFL suspended four Detroit Lions players and one player from the Washington Commanders for violating the league’s gambling rules. The suspensions included six-game bans for Lions wide receivers Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill, and one-year suspensions for Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus, safety C.J. Moore, and Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney. Cephus and Moore were subsequently released by the Lions.
Last off-season, former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for betting on NFL games. Ridley, who was later traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars, missed the entire 2022 season due to the violation. However, he was reinstated in March. Indianapolis Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers recently admitted to being investigated by the NFL for potential violations of the gambling policy, but there have been no updates on the findings of that investigation.
