
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell broke his silence about the legalization of sports betting that the United States Supreme Court voted in favor for on May 14.
This enormously impacts the professional sporting world as Congress could now regulate sports betting if they wish to do so. However, if they elect not to, each State is allowed to act on its own in implementing their own system.
No matter what happened, Goodell's top priority is making sure that the integrity of the game continues to flourish moving forward with the ruling.
"As it was for my predecessors, there is no greater priority for me as the Commissioner of the National Football League than protecting the integrity of our sport," Goodell said in a released statement. "Our fans, our players and our coaches deserve to know that we are doing everything possible to ensure no improper influences affect who the game is playing on the field. This week's ruling by the Supreme Court has no effect on that unwavering commitment. We have spent considerable time planning for the potential of broadly legalized sports gambling and are prepared to address these changes in a thoughtful and comprehensive way, including substantial education and compliance trainings for our clubs, players, employees and partners. These efforts include supporting commonsense legislation that protects our players, coaches and fans and maintains public confidence in our games."
Goodell also has standards to he wishes for Congress to enact for those states that wish to legalize sports betting.
"We are asking Congress to enact uniform standards for states that choose to legalize sports betting that include, at a minimum, four core principles:
- There must be substantial consumer protections;
- Sports leagues can protect our content and intellectual property from those who attempt to steal or misuse it;
- Fans will ahve access to official, reliable league data; and
- Law enforcement will have the resources, monitoring and enforcement tools necessary to protect our fans and penalize bad actors here at home abroad."
Since the ruling, New Jersey has been acting quickly with Monmouth Park working diligently to open a gambling venue within their grounds. They noted they could be opening it up as early as Memorial Day Weekend.
Aside from New Jersey, The Post notes that New York and Illinois are among roughly 15 other states who have "introduced bills to legalize and regulate sports betting tied to the Supreme Court outcome."