Roger Goodell clams up when colleagues’ talk turns to gambling

When the leaders of U.S. professional sports leagues convened in New York to discuss the business of sports, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had been an active, insightful participant. Until the topic of gambling came up.

On Tuesday night, Goodell joined NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred at The Paley Center for Media-organized public forum, titled “GameChangers: Creating the Future of Sports.”

The one-hour forum touched on different topics, including gambling, particularly in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to consider New Jersey’s request for legal sports betting. Silver, a proponent of legalizing sports gambling in the country, is optimistic that there will be changes in the not-so-distant future.

“My sense is that the law will change in the next few years in the United States,” the NBA commissioner said. “And I think it’s not as much at the end of the day are leagues being for or against sports betting? It’s more a function of being realists. It’s a multi-hundred-billion-dollar illegal industry in United States. And I think ultimately as the owners of the intellectual property, we’re going to embrace it and also make sure our integrity is protected at the same time.”