The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) has temporarily suspended certain types of wagers on National Football League (NFL) games. This comes after the NFL requested the ban over concerns that certain bets are “susceptible to manipulation” and are “predetermined or 100 percent determinable by one person.” The NFL had requested the state regulator to prohibit wagering on certain events in its contests in Illinois as they seek to undermine the game’s integrity, have negative impact on the league’s players and consumers.

These include betting on player injuries, player misconduct, penalties, replay results, officiating assignments, first play of the game, rostering of personnel decisions, player to miss a field goal or extra point try, and any other pre-determined wager or those that are a cent percent determinable by one person in one play.

The league said these wagers lead to sports integrity concerns that neglect public policy goals and that “pre-determined choices and actions within the control of individual players, coaches or league officials are susceptible to abuse and manipulation.” Therefore, the IGB has agreed to temporarily suspend these online and in-person wagering markets in Illinois. The suspension is said to remain in place until at least the next regulatory meeting on 12 December, when the Board will be revisiting the matter.

“Prohibiting these wagers altogether would complement NFL policies that require game participants, and other NFL personnel, to use their best efforts on the playing field and to protect NFL ‘inside information,’” Jonathan Nabavi, vice president for the NFL Public Policy and Government Affairs, said.

Public comments on VLT gaming

Last week, the public comment process on a proposal to include video gaming terminals (VLTs) in the state’s Self-Exclusion Program for Problem Gamblers (SEP) was also started by the IGB. Under current rules, the SEP only covers casino gambling and sports wagering in Illinois, leaving players vulnerable and at risk of increased VLT gaming. “When video gaming was first legalised in 2009 and became operational in 2012, video gaming was not incorporated into the Self-Exclusion Program,” said administrator Marcus Fruchter. Therefore, Fruchter believes “a potential future rulemaking would close that gap and provide consistent support and resources for problem gamblers in Illinois across all gaming segments.” Moreover, the board is also accepting public comments on the development and implementation of cashless wagering technology in video gaming, with comments on both matters due by 13 January 2025.

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