NFL modifies policy, will permit Las Vegas ads on telecasts

NFL to permit Las Vegas ads on telecasts

NEW YORK — The NFL no longer will block advertising for Las Vegas on game telecasts.

Under the modified policy, tourist destinations that allow gambling, such as Las Vegas, Reno or Lake Tahoe in Nevada, will now be permitted to advertise. But the league will still prohibit ads for specific hotels, casinos and other institutions.

Also, the new ads may not contain any gambling references or imagery.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the NFL considers it “a reasonable modification of our policy that still protects our interests.”

“We notified our network partners that we will not object to ads airing during our games for any tourism destination, including Las Vegas,” McCarthy added.

Content of the ads must comply with the networks’ standards and practices and also meet NFL standards for a mass audience.

The NFL has blocked attempts by Las Vegas to advertise on the Super Bowl, not wanting any association with gambling in commercials. In 2004, tourism officials in Las Vegas bought Super Bowl ad time from CBS affiliates instead of the network.

“We were not pleased and we let CBS know,” McCarthy said then.

Under the policy modification, ads for Las Vegas tourism with pictures of golf, swimming pools and entertainers would be permitted. An ad with footage of slot machines, dice, cards, or a wide shot of the Las Vegas strip and casinos would not be permitted.