Tomlin Worries About Impact Of Sports Betting and Fantasy Football on NFL

Derek Blake pic
By:
Derek Blake
12/13/2022
News
NFL Sports News

Highlights

  • Steelers coach Mike Tomlin criticizes impact of fantasy football, sports betting on team’s outlook
  • Pennsylvania sports betting accounted for over $40.1 million in profit for state’s sportsbooks
  • FanDuel at Valley Forge tops Pennsylvania sportsbooks in October with $22.1 million in revenue

On his weekly podcast, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin criticized the impact that sports betting and fantasy football has on the NFL. Referring to a play Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick made late to secure the win in Pittsburgh’s 19-16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, Tomlin suggested that fantasy football and sports betting has taken the focus away from winning games.

“It also shows you just the state of sport entertainment,” Tomlin said. “Man, it is ridiculous that we’re talking about something other than winning.

“Whether or not you had the Steelers’ defense and the fantasy points that you lost or the gambling aspects of overs and unders, just on a personal note, I’m saddened often by the distractions that could become part of viewing and enjoying men competing at the highest level in the game that we all love by fantasy teams and over and under lines.”

On the play in question, Fitzpatrick intercepted a pass from Falcons QB Marcus Mariota with 42 seconds left in the contest, deep in Falcons’ territory. Instead of taking the interception into the end zone, and scoring an easy touchdown, Fitzpatrick ran out of bounds at the Falcons’ 4-yard line.

By running the ball out of bounds, the Steelers could kneel the ball on the following play and kill the remaining 35 seconds left on the clock to secure the win.

But Fitzpatrick’s decision affected the total points scored and cost fantasy football players with the Steelers’ defense six additional points causing bettors to cry foul online after the game.

Pennsylvania’s Sports Betting Grows Stronger in October 2022

Although Coach Tomlin hates the impact of sports betting on the conversations around the Steelers, the sports betting market in Pennsylvania continues to grow stronger.

Since the legalization of sports betting in Pennsylvania, sportsbooks have seen revenue increase month-to-month. Case in point, in the latest press release on revenue from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the state’s sportsbooks handled over $797 million in wagers, making it the highest revenue month on record.

In October 2022, sportsbooks accepted $151.9 million more in wagers when compared to September. On the $797 million, the state’s sports betting operators made $40.5 million for the month. Roughly $34.4 million of the revenue total came from online casino sports betting, while $6.1 million came from physical bets made in sportsbooks around Pennsylvania.

At the top of the charts remained the FanDuel sportsbook at the Valley Forge Casino Resort. The FanDuel sportsbook accepted $292 million in bets with a $22.1 million revenue on those wagers. The Barstool sportsbook at the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows came in second with $7.8 million in profit from $231.1 million in wagers.

Derek Blake is a freelance writer that has covered the expansion of legal sports betting in America and the regional casino business for several well-known industry websites. During his writing career, he has written profiles on dozens of athletes and focused on the collision of sports and politics.