Scott Van Pelt Went in on the Idea that Daily Fantasy Is Not Gambling

Scott Van Pelt’s discussed daily fantasy sports on his One Big Thing segment on SportsCenter early this morning. Though he is not against the platforms, he took issue with the distinction that these games are not gambling, at least insofar as betting on point spreads is considered to be. Given the advertising contract ESPN has with Draft Kings, this was a relatively bold stance for SVP to take.

Earlier this week, ESPN gambling reporter David Purdum found some silly quotes in testimony from unsealed documents pertaining to the New Jersey betting case:

"“The NFL is in a revenue-generating business,” Ferazani said. “If the NFL believes that sports gambling would allow it to increase its revenue, the NFL would engage in that activity. Based upon our studies and analysis, we know that [sports betting] will negatively impact our long-term relationship with our fans, negatively impact the perception of our sport across the country.” Citing the NFL’s 2012 gambling policy, Goodell said the league generally views gambling as something involving three elements: prize, chance and consideration. He added, “I think the ‘generally’ gives some leeway into that.'” “We don’t look at fantasy sports as gambling,” Goodell said in testimony."

It will be interesting to see if this charade can continue for perpetuity.