The NFL's investigation into an alleged insider betting scandal is widening, with state gaming regulators in Arizona and now Massachusetts probing whether a former Arizona Cardinals executive tipped off a sports bettor ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
In July, the NFL announced that Ryan Gold, a 13-year front office veteran of the Arizona Cardinals, had been suspended indefinitely for allegedly violating the league's gambling policy. Reports then surfaced that Gold allegedly tipped off a sports bettor before the April 2026 draft that the team would select Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick. The scandal additionally includes claims that Gold himself placed parlay bets on NFL and college football games.
In response, the Arizona Department of Gaming opened an investigation into whether Gold violated state sports betting regulations. This week the matter expanded to a second state, with Massachusetts gaming regulators reporting suspicious betting activity involving the Cardinals. Gold grew up in Massachusetts, where he won two state football titles before attending the University of Massachusetts.
Gold denies the allegations. 'There is absolutely zero substance to the claims made against Ryan Gold,' his attorney, Mike Caspino, told ESPN. 'The NFL's investigation is so deeply flawed and so wrong. He will be vindicated next month in our appeal.' As for the parlay bets, Caspino claims Gold's wife, Jennifer, placed the $10 wagers as part of a weekly betting group with friends.
The NFL's gambling policy is unforgiving on this point. It prohibits all players, coaches, team personnel, referees, and anyone else directly involved in a game from betting on the NFL — and the rules are even stricter for non-player personnel such as front-office executives and scouts, who are barred from all sports betting. Anyone found to have provided inside information to help someone place a bet faces an indefinite suspension of at least one year. Confidential information includes anything not publicly available, including internal knowledge about who a team might pick in the draft.
By the time the draft rolled around in April, Love was strongly expected to go third to Arizona, with sportsbooks listing the Notre Dame star at 2/1 to become a Cardinal — a fact that could cut either way in assessing whether any tip was truly 'inside' information.
The case is the most serious gambling scandal to hit an NFL front office in years, and with two state regulators now involved alongside the league's own probe, Gold's appeal next month will be watched closely across the sports-betting industry.