Sports leagues around the country have finally accepted that sports betting is a massive enterprise – and one they can profit off of.
The NBA partnered with William Hill in 2019, which sparked other leagues to take similar measures. In April, the NFL announced multi-year agreements with Caesars, DraftKings and FanDuel.
Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue isn’t exactly thrilled with the new direction of the league. In fact, he didn’t even want a team to be in Las Vegas due to gambling/point shaving worries.
“I was always opposed to it, the gambling stuff, and I didn’t want to have a team in Las Vegas,” Tagliabue told USA TODAY Sports during a recent interview.
Here’s what Tagliabue had to say:
“The thing that bothers me, fast-forward, when the Supreme Court ruling came down, there were television people and others who told me that with the technology that’s available now, with computers and the ability to sort data to see where the money is going, it would be easier now to spot point-shaving than it was previously,” Tagliabue said.
But he wasn’t done there.
“Previously, you had to rely on investigators,” he said. “But now we have technology that can tell you if things are happening that shouldn’t be happening. So, some people tell you you’re better off now because of the data, it’s out in the open, so there’s not a risk.”
Tagliabue’s clearly concerned with point-shaving in the NFL. While some have tried to quiet his concerns, he still thinks a player could “take the money,” and throw a game.
“I still worry about some young guy … and someone says to him, ‘Take the money.’”
We’ll have to wait and see if his concerns are legitimate.
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