Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Goodell to Gamblers: "Eff you, pay me".

Gamblers beware, Roger Goodell will not stand to have you attempt to revitalize the US economy! From the WSJ.com:

The NFL, which says it will earn $8 billion in revenue this year, is threatening to file a lawsuit against the state of Delaware, where the supreme court unanimously concluded last month that parlays -- bets on the outcome of two or more events -- are constitutional, opening the door, as early as this fall, for the state to host what would be the first legal sports books outside of Nevada.
The NFL seems to have a hypocritical stance on the issue, the article reports the following:

Critics also say the NFL's position is inconsistent. The league recently decided to allow teams to sell their logos to other state lotteries for games that do not involve the outcome of football games. The logo of the New England Patriots, who were the first to sign a deal, will appear on Massachusetts scratch-off lottery tickets this summer.
The article goes on to state that Delaware projects to make an estimated $55 million in tax revenue to help cover their fiscal shortfall in the coming year. The NFL, apparently, is not interested in helping out the First State's economy.

Let's be honest though, people are going to bet on football games regardless of whether it is legal or not, and the NFL would be naive to think this will have any effect on the number of people gambling on sports each weekend. One of the primary reasons the NFL is so popular in America is because of gambling, and I'm sure their is a correlation between NFL betting trends and high ratings. Fantasy football is an extension of gambling for God's sake, and CBS and FOX seem quite content to inundate their viewers with fantasy statistics throughout halftime. My guess is the only way we will see legal gambling outside of Nevada will be when we begin seeing NFL-licensed casinos springing up around the country.
What are your thoughts?

4 comments:

  1. Well said...

    But you forgot to mention that Goodell is a greedy, narcissistic prick who has no soul.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good point. I also forgot to mention that I'll be moving to Wilmington if this ever goes through.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Goodell is just trying to do this to protect his brand. It's a publicity movement and he knows that he's going to lose (or settle). He LOVES the fact that Delaware is going to allow a sports book because like Namesake said, sports gambling is directly correlated with ratings.

    He just wants to put on the facade that the NFL's popularity is based solely on the fans who watch it for the fun of the game.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I wonder if Goodell has a problem with that pile of fat and hot air Hammerin' Hank giving his picks against the spread on ESPN every week.

    ReplyDelete