The NFL has revealed some strategies it uses to try to identify suspicious betting activity on game days. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
The NFL has revealed its methods used to ensure the integrity of games in an era of legal sports betting. It has assigned an investigator to each of the 32 teams, with these people moving around the stadium on game day to keep an eye out for any type of suspicious betting activity. They are often former FBI agents or law enforcement.
didn’t go into detail about potential red flags
Talking to ESPN, NFL Senior Vice President of Security Cathy Lanier explained how these people move around the sidelines, press box, and elsewhere to look out for any “anomaly.” She didn’t go into detail about potential red flags or reveal details as to what these investigators uncovered in the past.
Lanier’s team also actively monitors betting lines on the day of games, looking at reasons why the odds might move significantly for individual player prop bets. They flag any suspicious shifts and report them to the on-site integrity personnel.
The NFL has dealt with betting-related breaches involving players in the recent past, suspending ten players last year for various offenses. Unlike the NBA and the Jontay Porter scandal, the NFL has yet to discover anyone manipulating games for betting purposes.
