Illinois is banning certain types of bets on NFL games, at the league’s request, because of concerns that some bets would be easy for a single person to manipulate.
The Illinois Gaming Board took action in response to a request from the NFLaccording to the Chicago Grandstand.
Among the bets that have been banned are first plays, replay results, whether a kicker will miss a field goal or extra point and whether a quarterback’s first pass in a game will be incomplete. Outside of the game, betting on anything that falls within the realm of fan safety, player misconduct, penalties, referee assignments and roster or personnel decisions has also been prohibited.
The rule is designed to prohibit anything that can be considered “100% determinable by one person in a single work.”
“Predetermined choices and actions within the control of individual players, coaches or league officials are susceptible to abuse and manipulation,” Gaming Board administrator Marcus Fruchter wrote.
It’s part of the strange new world of sports betting, where the league itself is so concerned about the possibility of the game being rigged that it is asking gaming boards not to allow such bets. In theory, sportsbooks shouldn’t want to accept those bets anyway because if someone is rigging the game, they’re doing it to scam the sportsbooks. But the league doesn’t even want this to be possible, or for there to be a perception that anyone involved with a team or the league could have had a financial interest in the outcome.
Sportsbooks in Illinois have been warned that their licenses could be revoked if they accept these types of bets.