A major U.S. professional league is using suspicious betting activity investigators inside stadiums to monitor integrity during games.
The NFL has been assigning one investigator per team since shortly after PASPA was overturned in 2018, according to an ESPN report.
Cathy Lanier, the NFL’s vice president of security, pulled back the curtain to somewhat reveal how the investigators attempt to uncover unfair competition issues.
Lanier told ESPN that “integrity representatives” wander around the sidelines, the press box, and other areas of the stadium “looking for anything that is an anomaly, anything that stands out, anything that might raise concerns.”
No specifics were shared on what constitutes suspicious activity, what they have found in the past, or what they will be looking for this season.
The 2024 NFL campaign begins Sept. 5 when the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens.
Protecting the shield
The NFL, which once held longstanding, strong stances against gambling, has official sports betting partnerships with online sportsbook operators FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars. Many of its teams located in 25 legal sports betting states also have sponsorship deals in place.
“We did not make the decision,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in February before the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. “Ultimately, the decision was a decision by the Supreme Court when they legalized sports betting. We have to adapt. We have to embrace it.”
The NFL has had to play both sides. Lanier’s security team watches the betting markets and looks for reasons for drastic line moves on everything from point spreads to player props.
The NFL receives information held through partnerships with integrity watchdog and geo-tracking technology firms like U.S. Integrity and Genius Sports to monitor causes of irregular wagering.
The in-stadium integrity investigators could also be helping the league monitor criminal threats made on team personnel at stadiums. The NFL also monitors those issues online.
Don’t bet on it
The league has a clear gambling policy that prohibits players, coaches, staff members, and officials from wagering on NFL games.
Ten players were suspended between last spring and summer for violating the policy, which includes placing bets on any sport while inside a team facility or hotel.
ESPN reported that the NFL held mandated, in-person training sessions for players. One area of emphasis was not sharing information that could be used for betting and not having someone bet for you.
The league also made it clear during the training that players can’t enter a sportsbook during the NFL season and can’t partake in daily fantasy sports.
Players caught violating the NFL’s gambling policy face a minimum one-year suspension for betting on league games or sharing inside information and a two-year suspension for wagering on their team. Game fixing comes with a lifetime ban.
Non-league wagering inside a team facility or hotel comes with a two-game suspension for the first violation, six games for a second violation, and a one-year unpaid suspension for a third violation.
