Sportsbooks Halt Betting On Citrus Bowl Due To Drew Brees’ Connection To Purdue

Thanks a lot, Drew.

According to ESPN, the state of New Jersey’s gaming regulators have ordered all bets on the Citrus Bowl between Purdue and LSU to be halted because “an individual (Drew Brees) associated with the Purdue football team” was in violating of the state’s gambling regulations.

Brees took a job as an interim assistant coach for the Boilermakers and he also happens to be a brand ambassador for PointsBet.

Brees teamed up with PointsBet in June 2021. As part of the deal, he received an equity stake in the sportsbook. However, when it was announced that he would be taking a coaching job with Purdue, PointsBet also announced that they would be ending their business relationship with Brees.

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On December 22nd, PointsBet released the following statement:

“PointsBet would like to congratulate Drew Brees on his appointment as Interim Assistant Coach for the Purdue Boilermakers. While this is an exciting next step in his career, after careful review, we have decided to end our ambassador partnership agreement with Drew. Regulatory and legal compliance, responsible gaming practices, and the integrity of legal sports betting are top priorities for our organization and this decision will allow us to uphold that commitment. We wish Drew all the best as he returns home to his alma mater.”

Despite the termination between Brees and PointsBet, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement still found the future Hall of Fame quarterback in violating of the state’s statue 5: 12A-11 (f), which “prohibits athletes, coaches, referees or directors of a sports governing body from having any ownership interest in, control of, or otherwise be employed by an operator.”

The current betting line for the game is set at LSU -14, which is up two-and-a-half points from the 11.5 spread that it was set at a few weeks ago. The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl will take place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.