NFL Reminds Teams of Prop Bet Prohibitions Amid Scandals

The National Football League issued a memo to its 32 teams on Thursday, reminding staff and players of longstanding prohibitions on certain proposition bets, as the league intensifies efforts to safeguard game integrity amid recent gambling scandals in professional basketball and baseball.

The communication, distributed amid a surge in legalized sports betting across the United States, outlines four categories of banned wagers: those deemed inherently objectionable, such as bets on player injuries, fan safety or misconduct; markets related to officiating, including assignments, penalties or replay decisions; outcomes fully determinable by one individual in a single play, like whether a kicker misses a field goal or a quarterback throws an incomplete pass on the first attempt; and predetermined results tied to competition, such as a quarterback's starting status or whether a team's initial play is a run or pass. The NFL emphasized that these restrictions, in place since the early days of legal sports wagering, aim to prevent risks that could erode fan trust and compromise personnel safety.

This renewed focus follows federal indictments earlier this month against two Cleveland...