The prospective owner of the Carolina Panthers owns a company that holds ownership interest in casino stock. That won’t keep David Tepper from owning the team.
Via Carleton English and John Kosman of the New York Post, the league has no issue with Tepper’s company, Appaloosa Management, holding ownership interests in Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, and Boyd Gaming.
“This was vetted to the satisfaction of ownership and was not an issue in 2009 when Mr. Tepper became a minority owner of the Steelers,” a league spokesperson told the Post.
Currently, owners can hold investments in casinos, as long as they don’t participate in the operation of them. That rule, and every other NFL rule regarding gambling, will need to be revisited given that the U.S. Supreme Court has opened the door to legalized gambling. Once teams are benefitted directly and indirectly from wagers on games, the traditional do’s and don’ts regarding gambling will need to be gutted.