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Report: PGA Tour to allow gambling sponsorships

MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images / Digital First Media / Getty

The PGA Tour continues to open its doors to the world of sports betting, as it will allow sponsorships from gambling-related companies for the first time after a policy revision was made, Jason Sobel of The Action Network reports.

The revision states that players may be endorsed by certain companies, and marketing partnerships and title sponsorships may exist in the United States with any company so long as its primary business isn't sports betting. Daily fantasy sports companies are not considered sports betting entities under this new policy.

"Because of the Supreme Court's decision last year, and because of the direction that we see legalized, regulated sports betting going in this country, and just because of the public perception toward gaming, we've made the decision to remove a great deal of the prohibitions on gambling sponsorships in our sport," Andy Levinson, the PGA Tour's senior vice president of tournament administration, told The Action Network.

Prior to this change, the PGA Tour did not allow any association with gambling or daily fantasy sports companies.

"These are entertainment companies that have the ability to reach out to their own customer base and help tournaments reach larger audiences," Levinson added. "They can do unique things at tournaments, and they're very interested in our athletes. So from an economic perspective, obviously there's great opportunity. It also shows that we are engaged in this discussion about sports betting."

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has been supportive of sports betting since the Supreme Court removed the federal law prohibiting it from most states.

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