NFL settles with kids’ charity over gambling policy lawsuit

The National Football League has found itself again in a conflicted position about casinos and gambling.

On Friday, USA Today Sports reported that the NFL—aka the ‘No Fun League’—has reached a settlement with a children’s charity that filed a lawsuit against the league last year.

A quick history: In 2015, more than 25 NFL players were scheduled to attend a charity bowling event organized by the Strike for Kids. The league, however, shut down the event because its location was at a 72-lane bowling alley inside the Sunset Station hotel and casino. An NFL lawyer told the charity that the event’s location violates the league’s gambling policy, which bars its players and personnel from engaging in “promotional activities or other appearances at or in connection with events that are held at or sponsored by casinos.”

This prompted the charity to file a lawsuit against the NFL for fraud, claiming that it had lost money and sponsors because the event had to be moved to a smaller venue. The charity also asked a federal judge to compel NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to testify under oath about the inconsistencies in the league’s gambling policy.