NFL Announces Mandatory In-Person Gambling Policy Education, Training for 2024 Season

There has not been an NFL player suspended for gambling violations in over a year, and the league is reportedly doing what it can to continue that momentum.

Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press reported Thursday that the NFL is requiring in-person gambling policy education and training for all its players in 2024 as part of its efforts to increase gambling education and monitoring.

Ten players were suspended last offseason for gambling violations.

“Education and training is presented to the players—typically at the team facility—by a member of the NFL’s compliance team, the team’s head of player engagement (often a former player), or by other former NFL players using the ‘train the trainer’ approach,” the NFL, which worked with the NFL Players Association to prepare the training, said.

Maaddi shared the six main rules the NFL is preaching with its players:

• “Never bet on the NFL: This includes other NFL events such as draft, combine, Pro Bowl and NFL Honors.
• “Don’t have someone bet for you: Do not ask family, friends or others to place a bet for you.
• “Don’t gamble (no bets on sports, casino or card games) at your team facility or stadium, while traveling for a road game or staying at a team hotel.
• “Don’t share team ‘inside information’: Don’t share information that hasn’t been announced by the team.
• “Don’t enter a sportsbook during the NFL playing season.
• “Don’t play daily fantasy football.”

In addition to the training and focus on education, there is an NFL integrity representative who is assigned to each team. The integrity representative monitors for suspicious activities and is often a retired FBI or executive-level police officer.

Gambling continues to be a major topic around the sports world, and leagues outside the NFL have seen plenty of headlines over the past year.

In Major League Baseball, Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud charges after an investigation revealed he stole money from the Los Angeles Dodgers star to pay off gambling debts.

Ohtani’s name was cleared in the investigation, but San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was suspended for life after a different investigation revealed he engaged in gambling activities as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In the NBA, former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter was banned for life due to a violation of league gambling rules.