NFL Steps Up Fight Against Online Gambling - 04-01-09

April 1 - The National Football League (NFL) have always been stern opponents of online gambling, citing the potential for gambling influencing the outcome of matches and problem gambling as their major concerns. Now they are stepping up the fight by hiring a lobbyist to protect the online gambling ban.

Jeff Miller has been hired to put pressure on US lawmakers to keep the UIGEA in place.

The National Football League has always been huge critics of online gambling but this is their first real who of strength and the move to hire a lobbyist indicates a serious focus on combating online gambling.

Jeff Miller was aide to Wisconsin Democrat Senator Herb Kohl, is now working as an in-house lobbyist at the NFL's Washington office.

Top of his agenda will be efforts to convince politicians to protect the current online gambling ban in place since the controversial passing of the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which outlaws the transfer of funds from a financial institution to online gambling sites.

Miller was quoted by a news agency as saying that "We want to maintain the integrity of the game, and gambling threatens that."

The NFL is a huge gambling market. In Nevada alone bookmakers raked in $81.5 million in Super Bowl XLIII bets, in spite of the economic downturn. That's serious money and it comes as no surprise that the NFL doesn't want bets flowing off shore where they stand to make no money...

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