US casinos, rejoice! You can now tap into the juggernaut that is the National Football League and advertise your brands!
In a move that was first brought up a few weeks ago, the NFL has officially loosened their once hard-line stance against having any involvement whatsoever with the gambling industry. After a series of discussions at the annual owners meeting in Palm Beach, Florida a few weeks ago, the NFL will now begin to allow teams to accept casino advertisements for the next two seasons.
Regardless of the length, the move still represent a seismic shift in stance from a league that seemed to be obsessed with protecting its image to the public.
The memo, which was sent to all 32 teams, and seen by Bloomberg News, said that franchises could sell ads in game-day programs, on club-controlled radio and in stadiums.
As part of their conditions, the NFL said that casinos looking to advertise with a team must be in that team’s market and, more importantly, any casino that plans on advertising on an NFL team would not be allowed to take sporting bets on anything other than horse and dog racing.Other restrictions would also apply to ensure that the NFL doesn’t completely piss on their “protecting the integrity of the game” mantra. Among them include players, coaches, and other team and league employees are not allowed to appear in any of the ads or endorse the products or services from the casino advertisers.In an e-mail with Bloomberg News, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said that despite allowing casino ads into the league, the NFL remains steadfast in its “opposition to the proliferation of gambling on NFL games”.
“There is a distinction between accepting advertising in a limited fashion and gambling on the outcome of our games,” McCarthy wrote.
In addition to the casinos, the NFL has also acquiesced to allow other state-licensed gambling establishments to buy ads while following the same terms and conditions set forth by the league.
