NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell yesterday said that the league "did not alter any of its gambling policies and that the Raiders did not ask the league to do so" after they were approved to move to Las Vegas, according to Lorenzo Reyes of USA TODAY. Goodell added that the NFL "'retain(s) the right' to change any policies." Goodell: "Society has probably had a little bit of a change with respect to gambling in general. I think we still strongly oppose it in that room, and otherwise, legalized sports gambling. The integrity of our game is No. 1. We will not compromise on that. But I also believe that Las Vegas is not the same city it was 10 years ago or 20 years ago. It’s a much more diverse city. It has become an entertainment mecca." Raiders Owner Mark Davis on Monday said that there are plans in place to "implement protections so that players avoid the temptations that Las Vegas offers, though he declined to specifically state what those would be" (USA TODAY, 3/29). In Las Vegas, Adam Candee reports Goodell "anticipates bettors still will be allowed to wager on Raiders games after the team moves to Las Vegas" despite "ongoing concern about the integrity of his on-field product." Goodell: "I don’t think we’re contemplating (removing Raiders games from the board) at this point, in large part because you have a regulatory environment which actually can be beneficial. We’ll study it further, but I think at this point in time, it’s not our position" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 3/29).
NOTHING TO SEE HERE: ESPN's Mike Golic said of players potentially betting on games on Vegas, "To think that it is all of a sudden going to happen, I just don't see it when you know what the penalty can be and you know the amount you are making playing as an NFL football player." ESPN's Mike Greenberg said, "The only real position that [could] absolutely throw a game if he really wanted to is the quarterback. [Jets QB] Josh McCown, who got the lowest possible starting salary for a quarterback you could imagine, is getting paid $6 million this year. So the notion that he's going to throw a game on a $500,000 bet is ridiculous." ESPN's Adam Schefter said, "It will not surprise me if ultimately, in the end, teams try to limit their exposure to Las Vegas, where as if they fly in early in the afternoon to an opposing city, maybe they go in later, maybe they have some of the meetings in their city and they have more meetings so that the players don't have as much free time to go out" ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 3/29).
NOT YOUR FATHER'S VEGAS: In Las Vegas, Ed Graney cites sources as saying that gambling was "barely mentioned" among NFL owners during discussions about the Raiders' relocation to the city. Graney: "How did one incredibly significant issue go from owners abstaining from a forbidden fruit for so long to gorging on a Thanksgiving feast?" The "easy and correct answer is money, that once Davis showed his peers a stadium deal highlighted" by a $750M tax subsidy, "explaining to the world any fears of gambling and how it might negatively touch their shield with a team in Southern Nevada became a whole lot easier to digest." Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones said, "The sensitivity toward (gambling) and the integrity of the game is still there, but Las Vegas in no way compromises that. Las Vegas has evolved. It’s not your father’s Las Vegas." Graney: "This is what’s known as a breath of fresh air" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 3/29).
