A sermon on gambling before playing in Sin City

PHOENIX — National Football League owners passed eight new playing rules, three new bylaws and one new resolution, but at commissioner Roger Goodell’s news conference, something else commanded the room.

It was how the league — now with the Raiders’ relocation to Las Vegas approved — will navigate a complex fight against gambling.

“I would probably tell you that I think society has probably had a little bit of a change with respect to gambling in general,” Goodell said at the conclusion of the NFL annual meeting Tuesday at the Arizona Biltmore. “I think we still strongly oppose it in that room, and otherwise, legalized sports gambling. The integrity of our game is No. 1. We will not compromise on that.

“But I also believe that Las Vegas is not the same city it was 10 years ago or 20 years ago. It’s a much more diverse city. It has become an entertainment mecca. It’s the fastest-growing city in the country. So I think when you look at it today versus what it was a decade or two ago, I think it’s a much different city. And they made a very compelling proposal, which the owners obviously approved overwhelmingly.”

This is still, however, a place nicknamed Sin City. Critics of the Raiders’ relocation to Las Vegas point to that softened stance.

In June 2016, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had to cancel a fantasy football event — for the second year in a row — because it was being held on the property of a casino, and would therefore violate the NFL player personal conduct policy. That, despite there would be no gambling at the event.

In a November 2012 deposition, according to ESPN, Goodell said “gambling would be No. 1 on my list” when asked what threats there are to the integrity of pro football.

Yet, when faced with a failing stadium in the Oakland Coliseum and the allure of $750 million in public funds to construct a $1.9billion stadium near The Strip in Las Vegas, NFL owners stamped the move in a 31-1 vote.

“I think we have to make sure that we continue to stay focused on making sure that everyone has full confidence that what you see on the field isn’t influenced by outside factors,” Goodell said. “That’s our No. 1 concern. That goes to me, what I consider the integrity of the game, and we will not relent on that.”

The Raiders, though, intend to play in Oakland for at least two seasons, until the Las Vegas stadium project reaches its projected completion before the 2020 season. So there is still plenty of time for the league to figure out if any measures need to be taken.

Raiders owner Mark Davis said there are plans to implement protections so that players avoid the temptations that Las Vegas offers, though he declined to specifically state what those would be. Goodell said Tuesday that the NFL did not alter any of its gambling policies and that the Raiders did not ask the league to do so. He also added that the NFL “retain(s) the right” to change any policies.

“I think we have an obligation to do that for all 32 teams. My experience is that 21-year-olds can find trouble in a lot of different places, so that’s one of the reasons why we focus so much on our personal conduct policies. It’s educating players and helping them make better judgments, giving them better information so they avoid problems . ... We’re going to have to obviously keep a focus on that, no matter where our franchises are.”