NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday said that the "issue of legalized sports betting needs a lot more discussion before any decisions about government legalization and regulation can be made," according to David Shoalts of the GLOBE & MAIL. The topic of sports betting came to the forefront after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver argued in a N.Y. Times op-ed that it should be made legal. While there was "no official word" from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell or MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, they "have previously objected to the idea." Blue Jays President & CEO Paul Beeston remains against the idea, saying, "Why would you put yourself in a position where you could have any type of question about the integrity of your game, whether (betting) is regulated or not regulated?” Shoalts noted Bettman, like Beeston, "wonders what legal sports betting would do to the way sports fans, especially young fans, cheer for their favourite teams." Bettman: "Does it change the dynamic of the relationship that a child has growing up rooting for his or her favourite team to enter the concern of are you going to win your bet? Secondly, the issue is what does it do environmentally in a stadium and an arena where people’s rooting interests would tend to diverge from the obvious. It’s not something that’s going to happen overnight if it happens at all. It’s something that will get much further discussion.” Beeston said, "I’ve seen what can and does happen. As soon as you legalize it, the sooner you get people starting gambling at a very young age, the more it becomes a life-long affliction" (GLOBE & MAIL, 11/15).
STANDING FIRM: In N.Y., Ken Belson noted Silver's article did not reference "how much money the leagues and their owners stand to make." According to some estimates, the sports betting industry is "worth more" than $400B globally. Bookmakers "typically take" a 10% fee for "handling a bet, and if the leagues take a slice of that, teams could receive millions of dollars more each year." On Friday, the NFL, NHL and MLB "stood firm in their defense" of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which "outlawed sports betting in all but a few instances." NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy said Silver’s view “doesn’t change our stance that has been articulated for decades: no gambling on NFL games.” NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly in an e-mail wrote, "That was Adam’s opinion, and certainly one he and the
NBA are entitled to. That does not mean we share it. I think there are several assertions he relies on that we might question, or certainly would want to test further." Belson noted MLB "has a partnership with DraftKings, which offers a daily contest on MLB.com in which prizes include tickets to games rather than cash." MLBAM President & CEO Bob Bowman said that it was "exploring a larger partnership with DraftKings and did not rule out the possibility of cash tournaments or other formats in which money would be at stake" (
N.Y. TIMES, 11/15).
ON THE MARK? Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban said Silver "has it exactly right." He added, "We all know leagues benefit from the interest in our leagues that (gambling and fantasy sports) create. In the past for PR reasons, we have put up token resistance to them. I agree with Adam that now is the time to take sports betting out of the shadows" (CBSSPORTS.com, 11/14). ESPN's Michael Wilbon said, "I didn't have a real passionate feeling about this one way or another. Silver convinced me." ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said, "This is a huge departure from the David Stern administration. All commissioners have been dead-set against gambling, so you ask yourself, ‘Why might this happen?’ And I have two theories. One theory is that Silver wants to position himself and his league as the most progressive of leagues, as the most culturally leaning of leagues, as the most modern thinking of leagues. That's fine for him. And the second thing is there's an awful lot of money in sports gambling" ("PTI," ESPN, 11/14). In Providence, Bill Reynolds wrote, "Silver is right: It’s time to end it, bring it out in the open. No more bookies, existing in society’s margins. No more illegality. No more pretending the betting line doesn’t exist in sports. Because you can’t stop it, no matter how many rules you have against it" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 11/16). Also in Providence, Jim Donaldson wrote, "I'm glad to see that the NBA commissioner has seen the light" (PROVIDENCEJOURNAL.com, 11/16). In Austin, Kirk Bohls writes, "Why do we continue to stick our heads in the sand when, with federal regulation and oversight, this country can make millions off it?" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 11/17). In San Diego, Nick Canepa wrote in "just 9 1/2 months time on the bridge," Silver has "already become the most promising professional sports commissioner since Pete Rozelle." Canepa: "Because he gets it." His views on sports gambling are "so progressive, so foreign to those of other past and present commissionerships, they’re stunning to the point of creating a global swoon" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 11/15).
OTHER LEAGUES READY? The MMQB's Peter King asked, "How many real point-shaving events have there been in the NFL? None, since I've been alive. I think it's time for the NFL to devote energy to things that matter" (MMQB.SI.com, 11/17). Kornheiser said, "This is a real big deal and commissioners don't like this. I can't see any of the three other commissioners -- Gary Bettman or Rob Manfred or Roger Goodell -- saying they're for this right now” (“PTI,” ESPN, 11/14). FS1’s Pete Schrager said, “The NFL may not touch this. This is a thing where the NFL has enough on its plate with concussions and whatever else. Roger Goodell doesn’t want to have to worry about compulsive gamblers pointing to his game and saying, ‘You’re the reason why we have issues’” (“Varney & Company,” Fox Business, 11/14).
