Super Bowl 58 is set to be played in Las Vegas for the first time in 2024.
It was once thought impossible for the NFL's championship game to be held in such a location. The presence of legal gambling within the city created unique challenges that the league was not equipped to handle.
However, once the Supreme Court cleared the path toward legal gambling in 2018, the NFL — like most other major American sports leagues — started to embrace it. The league has aligned itself with sportsbooks and gambling partners to further cater to its fans.
So, once the Raiders moved to Las Vegas and built a shiny new stadium there, it became an obvious Super Bowl venue. On Feb. 11, 2024, either the Chiefs or 49ers will be crowned NFL champions there.
While the Super Bowl is an exciting moment for the NFL, it still is facing some of those aforementioned challenges. Notably, it has to make sure that there aren't any gambling-related scandals in conjunction with the game.
So, that meant putting some specific gambling guardrails in place for the contest's participants.
The result? The NFL has enacted a gambling ban for the teams and staffers involved in the contest. Here's what to know about that decision and how it impacts players league-wide.
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Can NFL players gamble while at Super Bowl 58?
The NFL has implemented a policy that will prevent players and staffers on the Chiefs and 49ers from participating in Super Bowl 58 from betting in any form, according to a memo obtained by Front Office Sports.
“While in Las Vegas, players participating in the Super Bowl are prohibited from engaging in any form of gambling, including casino games and betting on any sport," the league informed players in the correspondence, which was sent in September.
The NFL's decision was revealed after a series of gambling-related suspensions that occurred during the summer. A total of 10 players were suspended for at least six weeks for either placing a bet at a team facility or betting on NFL games. They were as follows:
- Quintez Cephus, WR, Lions
- C.J. Moore, S, Lions
- Shaka Toney, DE, Commanders
- Isaiah Rodgers Sr., CB, Colts
- Rashod Berry, DE, Colts
- Demetrius Taylor, DT, Colts
- Eyioma Uwazurike, DL, Broncos
- Jameson Williams, WR, Lions (6 games)
- Stanley Berryhill, WR, Lions (6 games)
- Nick Petit-Frere, OT, Titans (6 games)
Because of this, the NFL wanted to make sure that it was protected from accusations that the Super Bowl was rigged, especially with it taking place in Las Vegas. Banning all types of player betting at the Super Bowl — even those that are typically legal – represented the easiest way for the league to mitigate the risks associated with Las Vegas' rampant gambling scene.
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Can NFL players not participating in Super Bowl 58 gamble?
The short answer? Yes — but also no.
The NFL has a separate set of rules for players who aren't participating in Super Bowl 58. They are allowed to legally gamble, so that will allow them to enjoy some of Las Vegas' nightlife and casinos.
That said, NFL players are not allowed to bet on the Super Bowl -- or any other NFL game for that matter. That safeguard exists to prevent the exchange of inside information about the contest to which others wouldn't be privy.
However, NFL players are normally allowed to bet on non-NFL sports while not at a team facility. Those in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl won't be allowed to do that even if they aren't playing in the game. No NFL players will be allowed to enter a sportsbook unless traveling through one is the only way to get to where they are going.
So, while this subset of non-participating players is free to play Blackjack, Craps, and other casino games, they won't be able to make money off the NFL's championship game or any other sporting event being played while the Super Bowl festivities are ongoing in Las Vegas.
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Can NFL players bet after the Super Bowl?
The good news is that once the Super Bowl ends, NFL players will allowed to gamble if they so desire. The NFL and the NFLPA agreed that the gambling restrictions will be lifted once the Super Bowl officially ends.
#49ers and #Chiefs players are barred from any form of gambling leading up to Super Bowl LVIII here in Las Vegas, but sources say the NFL and NFLPA have agreed that restriction ends after the game.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 7, 2024
In other words, all bets are off for postgame celebrations Sunday night. pic.twitter.com/CZkLCcXYSP
That could make Sunday's post-Super Bowl parties even a bit crazier than usual for the winning team.
What are the NFL's gambling rules?
The NFL adjusted its gambling policy ahead of the 2023 season to ensure that it was airtight as legal sports betting began to permeate the country.
There are six key points within the NFL's gambling policy that players must follow, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
- Don't bet on the NFL
- Don't gamble on any sports at your team facility, while traveling for a road game, or staying at a team hotel
- Don't have someone bet for you
- Don't share team "inside information"
- Don't enter a sportsbook during the NFL playing season
- Don't play daily fantasy football
So, long story short, NFL players cannot bet on any NFL-related business. It doesn't matter whether it's one of their own games, another team's games, specific prop bets for each contest, or future bets about the league -- players and staff must abstain from making bets.
This isn't just limited to in-season, on-field action either. NFL players and personnel are not allowed to bet on any other league-related activities, such as the NFL Draft, NFL Combine, Pro Bowl, NFL Honors, and more.
These rules and safeguards effectively exist to prevent NFL employees who could either impact the wager or have inside information about it from profiting from it. That's part of the reason that the league's punishment for such an offense is suspension of at least a year.
That said, the restrictions on gambling at team facilities were lesser known entering the season. While NFL players are allowed to wager on non-NFL sports on their own time in states where it is legal to do so, they cannot do so while at a team facility.
The point of confusion with that provision is that the definition of a team facility is wide-ranging. It covers not just practice facilities (including parking lots) but also team hotels, team-sanctioned travel, and team-related events.
The NFL emphasized education about its gambling policy after its crackdown on it during the summer of 2023. That's part of the reason that those who violated that element of the league's policy received suspensions of just six games compared to the year-long bans of those who bet on NFL contests.
MORE: Full description of the NFL's gambling policy, why it's illegal to bet on games & more
How is the NFL enforcing this gambling policy?
Super Bowl team hotel locations
One of the NFL's main plans in enforcing this gambling policy is simple. It is keeping both the Chiefs and 49ers far away from the famed Las Vegas Strip, as the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Mick Akers details.
The NFL doesn’t want its Super Bowl participants to be distracted by the hustle and bustle of the Strip the week of the Feb. 11 game at Allegiant Stadium, so neither team will be staying on the famed Las Vegas Boulevard.
Instead, both the Chiefs and 49ers will be staying about 25 miles away from that location. That will help to keep them focused on the game at hand and keep them away from the gambling hotspots and sportsbooks that could cause the league trouble.
'Everything’s on camera'
The other main gambling detractor in the NFL's favor is that most of the sportsbooks and casinos are equipped with advanced surveillance tools and teams that monitor activity at each location.
So, it would be a risk for anyone under contract with the NFL to try to skirt the league's gambling policies, as NFL Network's Kyle Brandt explained in a podcast with SI's Jimmy Traina.
“I’m afraid, honestly. It’s really specific in the contracts — I’m employed by the NFL — about gambling,” Brandt said. “Like, I don’t even know if I could go and pull a slot machine. I probably can, but I don’t want to do it because everything’s on camera, and I’m not gonna get fired on this trip to Vegas for the NFL."
The threat of being exposed and facing a potential year-long NFL ban should serve as enough of a deterrent to players and staff to convince them to avoid entering non-permitted gambling establishments throughout the Super Bowl.
