When the NFL ‘wasn’t’ associated with gambling and ‘pretended’ that gambling and spreads were myths, not to be spoken of when the NFL was talked about by sportscasters... Everybody knew then that certain refs, players and even some coaches could ‘possibly’ be on the take and throwing games. But the NFL was strictly against spreads and betting, and that stance made it seem like the NFL was aboveboard and safe enough for gambling addicts like me to trust.
Now that they’re in bed with gambling... I just assume that every NFL game is on the take in some fashion or another... There have been at least 3 useless field-goals kicked this year that ended up changing the spread and costing gamblers tens of millions of dollars. Then there are the refs calls on the field... A referee can call ‘holding’ on pretty much every play in the NFL, and pass interference??? The subjectiveness is obscene, especially at crucial junctures in a game.
The NFL made $18.6 billion in 2022... The ‘legal’ and illegal gambling industry made ten times that much on NFL betting.
NFL Players are being watched like hawks and several have already been suspended for gambling... And more will be suspended in the future.
The big question is... Who’s watching the owners, the coaches, the refs, etc.? None of them have been suspended to date. Does the NFL actually expect it’s fans to believe that not one of them has ever gambled on the NFL, gamble on their own teams, or thrown a game here or there?
When the NFL wasn’t in bed with the gambling industry, I was more than happy to ‘pretend’ like they did, that gambling didn’t effect the outcome of NFL games. Now the NFL and other professional sporting leagues practically own the gambling industry... I have some very serious doubts.
The $64,000 question is, “Who’s watching Fat Don?”
A lot of fans are noticing it now. Some NFL games appear to be "fixed". It's easy to have referees and players "throw" away games by messing up certain plays that can change the outcome of a game.