NFL seeks federal help with 'illicit sports betting market' - ESPN

NFL vice president of public policy and government affairs Jonathan Nabavi outlined the league's gambling policy and called for federal assistance to address the «illicit sports betting market» in a response letter sent to a U.S. Congresswoman on Friday.

Alarmed by an uptick in betting-related controversies, U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) in mid-June issued letters to commissioners and presidents of 12 prominent sports leagues, inquiring about their gambling policies and efforts to protect the integrity of the games in the modern landscape.

Thirty-four states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have launched legal betting markets, following a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018.

«There is no higher principle at the NFL than safeguarding the integrity of the game, Nabavi wrote in the letter to Titus, obtained by ESPN.

»Our efforts to uphold game integrity have been ongoing throughout the history of the league and our commitment has not wavered since the Supreme Court's decision. The increased accessibility of sports betting has made our efforts even more important."

The NFL has suspended 10 players in 2023 and 12 overall for violating the league's gambling policy since the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, the federal statute that had restricted legal betting to primarily Nevada.

While legal sportsbooks have spread around the nation, the underground betting market remains prevalent, and the NFL believes the lack of safeguards with bookmakers who operate outside of the regulated environment in the U.S. poses an integrity threat.

«We believe that additional attention and resources are needed from lawmakers and law-enforcement to address the illicit sports betting