The league has more strongly enforced and also updated its gambling policies in recent years. Players have slightly more lenient restrictions than NFL staff, due to the influence of the NFL Players Association, but both players and league employees have faced consequences for gambling.
Betting on an NFL game, Goodell said, is grounds for termination for a league office employee. NFL players are suspended one year for betting on the league and two for betting on their team, per the latest policy iteration. The increase in severity of consequences on NFL betting coincides with the relaxing of policies for players betting on non-NFL sports. First-time offenders will receive a two-game suspension without pay, second-time offenders six games and third-time offenders a year at minimum.
