The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) voted on Friday to propose a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with league owners. If passed, the new labor contract will add one regular-season game for each team during the playoffs.

Great for sports betting

The new proposed agreement will add an extra game for teams in the regular season, which will provide additional sports betting opportunities to punters. The deal will also guarantee a share of gambling revenue to the players. However, it has only described this clause vaguely and doesn’t specify what exactly it will cover and how many shares will go to the players.

The union was expected to make a decision on the matter on Friday, but player representatives didn’t move forward with the plan. Note that they passed the 10-year contract proposal on Thursday. It published a statement, adding,

“Our player leadership looks forward to meeting with NFL management again next week before the Board takes a vote shortly after.”

A delight for bettors

The new proposal will add an extra week of NFL action during the season, adding 16 more games to the regular season. Note that the NFL is one of the hottest sports betting events in the US, and an extra week of gameplay could add millions more in sportsbooks handles. The CBA also talks about adding a seventh team in the playoffs for each of the conferences. This will bring only the best teams in each conference to rest up during the Wild Card Weekend. With an extra team in the playoffs, the game is expected to become more competitive and will eventually be helpful to punters.

Though the union believes that it could be a great decision for them and the players, Houston Texans’ JJ Watt believes otherwise. He spoke about CBA on Twitter and made it evident that he didn’t support the proposal.

Players have long opposed the idea of an additional game during the season, citing the increased risk of injuries. They suggest that the game already takes a big toll on their bodies, and more games will only make them tired and injury-prone. The existing contracts with the players may not be enough to define the extra workload they will have to face if the proposal passes.

It is important to note that the current CBA will not expire until the next season of the NFL. The inion may want to get a new CBA in order to strike a better television contract, which will also expire in the near-term. Extra games will help in increasing the price of the contract.