NEW YORK: The PGA Tour Tuesday announced that it has revised its regulations toward sponsorships with gambling entities, a move that reflects the changing landscape of public acceptance in the USA between sports leagues and legalised gambling.
In May 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the federal prohibition on sports betting, ruling that it violated the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Individual states now have the authority to legalise sports gambling within their borders. As a result, the PGA Tour conducted a comprehensive review of its policies, specifically as they applied to the organisation, players, tournaments and other partners.
While the revision applies to larger casino companies, it does not apply in the U.S. to companies whose primary purpose is sports betting, i.e. pure sportsbooks or bookmakers such as William Hill or Bet365. Those sportsbooks, however can still be considered for potential sponsorships outside the U.S. market.
Gambling companies can now be considered for official marketing partners (OMPs) for all six tours overseen by the PGA Tour, and tournaments and players also can seek sponsored deals with such entities. Players were informed of the policy change, which has been made valid already, during a meeting on Tuesday afternoon prior to this week’s The Honda Classic competition.
“As the situation with legalised sports betting in the U.S. has evolved since the Supreme Court’s ruling last May, we’ve seen broader acceptance in sports betting and gaming involvement with pro sports,” PGA Tour SVP Andy Levinson said.
“We felt it was time to look at our policies, given the public perception around gaming, and to update those policies to be consistent with public sentiment.”
“Sponsorship relationships with casinos and daily fantasy sports companies will generally be permitted,” PGA Tour VP David Miller added.
“Any relationship must promote responsible gaming and be consistent with the Tour’s integrity efforts.”
The Tour will continue its Integrity Program that went into effect on 1 January 2018, in order to protect its competitions from outside influences related to gambling. The Integrity Program’s stated mission is to ‘maintain integrity and prevent and mitigate betting-related corruption in PGA Tour competitions – ensuring competitions always reflect, and appear to reflect, the best efforts of the players, while protecting the welfare of the players and others involved with the PGA Tour – through clear policies and regulations, ongoing education and training, and effective and consistent monitoring and enforcement functions.’
PGA Tour has partnered with Genius Sports, the global leader in sports integrity services, to develop a tailored educational program that will help players, caddies and officials to identify, resist and report incidents of potential betting corruption.
In addition to the revision with gambling companies, the PGA Tour also is revising its regulations towards spirits brands. Players can now wear the names or logos of distilled spirits companies, and broadcasters can showcase their advertising and provide them in-program exposure during PGA Tour network telecasts.
