The betting culture in Las Vegas has long been a deterrent for major professional sports to call the city their home. With the recent addition of the Golden Knights and the soon-to-be Vegas Raiders, the topic of betting around the facilities has once again become a major talking point.
According to ESPN, the lease on the Raiders' new home has strict rules against housing a sportsbook on premises.
"Any Gaming or Gambling, the maintaining or operating of a Gaming Establishment and/or sports wagering or any wagering on racing or other non-sports events."
It appears that the always resourceful Nevada Gambling Commission has found a loophole in the recently agreed upon lease.
The current lease has no language prohibiting betting through mobile devices while attending events at the new stadium. That means MGM, William Hill's Nevada, Wynn, Station Casinos and the Westgate SuperBook will be able to take bets during games. This also means that gamblers will not have to choose between placing their usual Sunday bets and supporting their hometown Raiders.
The NFL is yet to comment on the prospect of mobile betting occurring during future games and they've yet to reach out to the NGC.
"The NFL has not approached me for any policy decisions," Nevada Gaming Commissioner chairman Tony Alamo told ESPN. "The Nevada Gaming Commission is the policy maker for the state of Nevada and gaming, and they have not approached us in any shape, way or form."
It's only a matter of time before this is brought to the attention of league officials and the prospect of an athlete, executives, or referee placing a bet from the locker room or during halftime should be more concerning than placing a bet before the contest at a sportsbook.
NFL owners will gather for the Spring meetings in Chicago later this week and it'll be interesting to see if action is taken to stop these mobile betting apps when the owners vote to approve the lease agreement.
