Until recently, sports leagues have been battling the introduction of legalized betting. They argued that it would compromise the integrity of games and lead to attempts at fixing – or compromising a game for gambling purposes. Now that sports betting has been introduced, it’s becoming much more prevalent in the media and fans are seeing odds and lines incorporated into coverage of events.
While the NHL doesn’t take a position for or against legalized betting, many of its teams do have their own in-house partnerships. For example, the Vegas Golden Knights became the first professional sports team to open a sports book, and the team has also signed sponsorship deals with William Hill and MGM Resorts International. Other teams have in-house partnerships with bwin and Betfair, among others.
The Football Association (FA) regulates official betting and maintains a list of individuals who are prohibited from placing bets on matches in which they participate or can influence the outcome. This includes individuals associated with clubs at lower levels of the men’s and women’s league systems as well as match officials at FA Level 4 or below. The ban also extends to anyone in a staff position at any entity that organizes or promotes a WBSC competition.
In addition, players are not allowed to bet on sports while at work – so that means even if they’re sitting in their hotel room watching a game or checking out the lines, they’re still technically at work. This is why pro and college athletes must sign a statement that says gambling on sports is against league policy.