‘The integrity of the game’: NFL owner ‘not a fan’ of sports gambling

Mark Davis owns two professional sports teams in Las Vegas, and both the Raiders and the WNBA’s Aces have partnerships with sportsbook BetMGM. But that doesn’t mean he’s a big supporter of the gambling boom that has taken over the sports world.

In a new interview, Davis said that he’s “not a fan” of sports betting, particularly the rise of prop bets on individual players and plays. Davis said he worries that the growing gambling industry could threaten the integrity of professional sports.

Gambling’s Growing Role in Sports

Sports betting has exploded across the country in recent years, and leagues have been happy to cash in through partnerships with sportsbooks. But that growth has also come with a string of scandals, especially when it comes to prop bets.

In October 2025, the FBI arrested Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier in connection with federal gambling investigations. A month later, Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted over an alleged scheme involving bets on individual pitches.

Leagues are also dealing with the rise of prediction markets, which let users trade contracts tied to the outcomes of sporting events. The NFL has been more cautious than other leagues, declining to partner with prediction market operators.

“We think that there needs to be stronger regulations into the predictive markets,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told CNBC Sport in September. “We don’t feel like we have to be first in this. We feel like we’re going to be right. And the best thing to do is to be patient and make sure that you keep the integrity of the game number 1.”

The NFL also filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in October, arguing that prediction markets are a form of gambling and should be regulated by the states.

‘The Integrity of the Game’

Speaking with CNBC Sport’s Michael Ozanian, Davis made it clear that he has some serious concerns about where things are heading.

“I’m not a fan per se of gambling on sports, especially the one-on-ones, the proposition types of betting,” Davis said, via CNBC.

“I think the key thing is the integrity of the game,” he added.

Davis, who moved the Raiders from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020, said he remembers a time when the NFL took a much harder line on gambling.

“I remember growing up that there was a big sign in the locker room as you walked out that door that said, ‘No gambling whatsoever,’ or there’s suspension or you’re out of the league,” Davis said.

Davis admitted that the money coming in from gambling is hard to ignore. But he said leagues need to be careful about the risks that come with it.

“The revenue that is coming from gambling and those types of entities is large so there has to be a balance between integrity and what the good things that it can bring to the league,” Davis said.

“People have to believe in the game. Is it worth the risk? I don’t know. I can’t answer that,” he added.

Clearly, Davis isn’t fully sold on gambling’s growing role in the NFL, even as the owner of the league’s team in Sin City.