NFL, NBA Among Major Sports Leagues Linked to Deals with Gambling-Related Firms

All four major sports leagues in the United States—the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB—have reportedly begun working far more closely with gambling-related firms over the past year.

Steve Fainaru, Paula Lavigne and David Purdum of Outside the Lines reported the agreements to work with oddsmakers, betting prognosticators and data providers can help track the potential of fixed games but also dive into a "shadowy, unregulated world" that includes illegal sports betting enterprises.

The OTL report, which is based on interviews with sports gambling officials and experts, noted some of the deals reached between the leagues and the firms have been made public while others are secret.

Some examples cited include the NFL partnering with Sportradar US, which is a subsidiary of a company that sources told OTL provides state-run illegal offshore sportsbooks, the NBA becoming part owner of daily fantasy advanced statistics outlet numberFire and MLB working with a betting watchdog, the Sport Integrity Monitor, that tracks suspicious activity.

OTL pointed out the agreements could help the leagues prevent potential issues such as the ongoing tennis match-fixing scandal. Yet it also puts them in position to profit should sports betting eventually become legal throughout the United States.

Those from inside the gambling community provided varying views of the issue. Nevada state Sen. Mark Lipparelli, who previously worked on the Nevada Gaming Control Board, believes it was almost an inevitable conclusion.

"To the extent that they don't participate, they do so at their own peril," Lipparelli told OTL. "You can't be late to the party and expect that everyone else who's come to agreement is going to shift their position to your concern."

Timothy Fong, the co-director of the Gambling Studies Program at UCLA, believes the intent is still a major question mark at this early stage.

"It goes back to the fundamental question: To what purpose are the leagues doing this?" Fong said. "Is this something that will make the product better? Or is it just straight greed?"

MLB's chief legal officer, Dan Halem, explained to OTL that any agreements the league made are "just for integrity purposes." If that's the case across the board, it's hard to blame leagues for trying to get ahead of the next potentially serious issue.

That said, there are still more questions than answers about how these deals with gambling-related firms could have an impact moving forward. It's a situation worth watching closely, especially if sports betting does eventually get the green light in the United States.