NBA outlines plan to legalize pro sports betting
 

NBA outlines plan for professional sports leagues pushing for national legalized wagering

Too much money to be made for this not to happen on a soonish time frame, I think. Once the Supreme Court says that states can legalize sports betting (and the Court watchers say that is how they are likely to rule), many of them will. And the leagues are going to be part of it so that they can get their cut.

I say within 5 years, betting on pro sports will be legal and readily available in the majority of states.

dola: I also don't think that the NBA did this on its own. It is the most cutting-edge league, so it makes sense for it to float the trial balloon. But I am sure that the NFL, MLB, and NHL were all kept in the loop as the NBA was crafting its proposal.

If it becomes legal for states to enact sports betting, why would they make casinos (or whoever is allowed to take sports bets) pay the leagues a fee as a condition of legalizing it? Seems like Nevada has gotten along just fine without those fees.

I honestly have no idea how SCOTUS is going to be able to interpret the Interstate and Supremacy Clauses such that states will be able to permit sports gambling and yet not able to permit the possession and sale of marijuana.

But I have no doubt that that is exactly the long-term outcome, and watching those contortions is going to be fascinating.

1% of the handle is a rich ask.

I think that this is why the leagues are getting out in front of it. Their position is (I assume), “National gambling might be eventually inevitable. But we can make it easy, or we can make it hard. Isn’t it worth 1% for us to make it easy?”

Because the feds have criminalized marijuana. And SCOTUS says that they can. In contrast, the feds have not criminalized gambling. They instead say that states (save Nevada) are not allowed to make it legal. Practically, not much difference. Legally, it will be huge.

More cheating on sports now? Haven't we been here before? Don't we have the t-shirt?

In the 70's the mob could probably pay you some good money to shave points, nowadays with the 50 million dollar contracts I'm guessing not a lot to worry about. Isn't this sort of like the dumb pot laws also? People are already gambling online, with bookies, etc now the NBA will just get a cut of the action. I don't think there is going to be a huge increase in sports betting if it becomes "legal".

I think there's still a good number of people who would gamble more if they could easily move money between their bank accounts and legit sites, but those same people would probably fade in and out pretty quick.

It's a helluva way to launder money.

So are gift cards.

Way too much. The argument will come down to in game data value versus the final scores value. I'd be leery of anyone who wants to control what bets are allowed. Also in Las Vegas the Celtics are 15% owned by Caesars so you can't bet them at any of their properties in the state (so Lakers-Celtics final cut out 1/3rd of the books). Would this mean that you couldn't bet California teams in Cali for integrity purposes? The NBA wants to control those rules also (not being discussed as it's little known about the Celtics games)

Plus if you bet online already why would you do it legally? It's just like people who have bought pot for years illegally, why would you go to a dispensery now? So you can be taxed on it?

I would expect that part of making it legal will involve a crackdown on offshore books

I don't think you're wrong, but Pot is a pretty terrible comparison. Legality has allowed production to move toward industrial farming techniques and greater efficiency in growing, leading to decreases in prices.

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Unless legality really cuts down on the vig, this probably wouldn't be reflected in gambling at all.

But they aren't wanting a vig, they want 1% of all action. Win, lose or draw. They also claim they will know if a game is being thrown but it won't. They act like it will kill off all bookies. If you get a limit on you in vegas there are plenty of ways to lay more money around here illegally.

Not sure how they will achieve this. By making a law to regulate another industry and require 1% of it. Not sure they want to open that can of worms.