Limited Casino Ads for NFL

The NFL is going to allow teams to accept those advertisements for casinos and other state licensed gambling related establishments during the next two gaming seasons. The ads are only going to be allowed to be shown in the game programs, on local radio shows, and in the inner and upper bowl concourses of stadiums. The change in policy is going to allow such advertising on a limited basis from casinos in the market. After the subject was discussed and thoroughly discussed, the league reviewed at how other sports handle casino advertising, did fan research, and analyzed the likely impact of recent gambling related legislation developments and surveyed all 32 franchises to make the best decision possible.

"We remain steadfast in our opposition to the proliferation of gambling on NFL games," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. "There is a distinction between accepting advertising in a limited fashion and gambling on the outcome of our games." None of the employees, players, or teams of the NFL can endorse or appear within any of the advertisements. In the previous years, the teams have been permitted to accept these advertisements for dog or horse racing, for municipal lotteries or off track betting organizations which provide that they offer no betting schemes that are based on actual sporting events; to enter into these sponsorship agreements with the lotteries, as long as they do not offer any games that are based on the ads and can contain no references of gambling or casinos.

Under the change made on Thursday, any entity that is being advertised it cannot have a sports book or accept any promotional gambling of actual sporting events other than those dog or horse racing. The ads must clearly advertise the locations and do not have a sports book or otherwise do not accept or promote gambling on an actual sporting event. No references of these locations are permitted. All of the messages on the ad must be of responsible gambling. They must also agree to contribute funds to the league’s gambling education and other related programs. There are no naming rights allowed and programming sponsorships can be sold to casinos or gambling related entities.