Goodell details NFL’s stance on gambling, wants right ‘to protect our content’

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says Congress should enact uniform standards for any states that plan to legislate sports betting.

Goodell detailed the league’s position in a statement Monday that reiterated the NFL’s stance that legalized sports gambling in the United States should be governed by federal law rather than state law. The Supreme Court ruled last week to strike down a 1992 law that barred most state-authorized sports gambling.

Goodell says the standards should give sports leagues the right “to protect our content and intellectual property from those who attempt to steal or misuse it.” Goodell also wants law enforcement to be able to “protect our fans and penalize bad actors here at home and abroad.”

Goodell also is seeking consumer protections as well as fan access to official and reliable league data. He said the NFL would support “common-sense legislation that protects our players, coaches and fans and maintains public confidence in our games.”