Charity bet backfires
A wager made by ex-Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar has got him into hot water with his former team. Even though he said he would donate any winnings to charity, the former signal caller has lost his slot on a Browns pre-game radio show as a result of the bet.
wager on Cleveland to win Sunday’s game
Kosar’s wager on Cleveland to win Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers caught the attention of the Ohio-based franchise. Kosar took to Twitter Sunday to say that he was “shocked and disappointed” after getting fired from the radio show:
NFL policy
The ex-NFL QB, who spent 1985 to 1993 calling plays for the Browns, placed the $19,000 bet via Tipico Sportsbook. It formed part of an ad campaign tied-in with his own online football podcast show and Ohio sports betting, which went live on January 1 this year.
Via Twitter, sports writer Nate Ulrich shared a Browns statement confirming the franchise had notified Kosar of his removal from the show:
Despite acknowledging Kosar’s role in the franchise’s community and his place in the team’s history books, the Browns said NFL policy required the removal of Kosar from the show for the season finale against the Steelers, who ran out 28-14 winners.
A strict market
The Browns are not the only Ohio organization fearful of retribution if they fail to stick to gambling policies. Despite only launching sports betting this month, Ohio’s gambling regulator has already shown betting organizations they have to toe the line or else.
Last week, Ohio Governor Mark DeWine, who played a vital role in Ohio launching a legal market, called out some sports betting firms for directly “targeting a large number of young people.” Meanwhile, the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) also voiced its disappointment with various operators and their “lack of compliance.”
The OCCC followed this up late last week by issuing notices of violation to BetMGM, Caesars, and DraftKings for contravening the state’s sports betting laws in relation to advertising and marketing campaigns. The OCCC is seeking $150,000 each from the operators for allegedly running ads without a responsible gambling message across multiple media platforms.