The fallout for Drew Brees, PointsBet, and Purdue University continued over the holidays as the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) suspended betting on Monday’s Citrus Bowl last week.
According to ESPN, the DGE cited a violation of state regulations, which state that staff or players cannot have, “any ownership interest in, control of, or otherwise be employed by an operator.” Brees and PointsBet officially parted ways shortly before Christmas, but the announcement came after Brees accepted a position with his alma mater.
New Jersey sportsbooks ceased taking bets on the game and voided any existing bets on the action.
Brees will serve as the interim quarterbacks coach but has no plans to continue a coaching career immediately after this bowl game. He came to join the Purdue staff after coach Jeff Brohm exited the program to accept the head coaching job at the University of Louisville. Brees wanted to pitch in to help the staff with the transition and the postseason.
So far New Jersey is the only state to suspend betting on the game. Indiana, where Purdue is located and PointsBet operates, continues to accept wagers on the Citrus Bowl. LSU is a 14-point favorite over the Boilermakers. The fact Purdue is playing LSU only adds to the betting interest from the Brees angle. As a longtime New Orleans Saint, Brees spent nearly a decade supporting the LSU football program as a fan.
The incident in New Jersey is just the latest in a string of publicity around Brees and PointsBet. Last month, the sportsbook generated quite a load of both positive and negative publicity from an online video crafted to suggest Brees had been struck by lightning. The video was actually just a prank by the sportsbook to generate attention around its “Lightning Bet” product.
