It has been a long battle between United States casino sportsbooks and some of the different sports groups, and in this particular case, the National Football League (NFL) is their primary opponent. It is nothing new that the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell have always disliked casinos and sports betting, as they believe it will ruin the integrity of the game if gambling on the outcome is allowed. Problems in the past, like players shaving points in order to help a bet win, have made it harder for states, other than Nevada, to legalize and regulate sports betting at their casinos.
Open and Transparent Betting Market
This problem has come back in full force as the owners are set to vote on whether the Raiders will be allowed to move to Las Vegas; one of their big arguments against this is the potential for gambling. However, there may not be enough opposition to stop their move, so the issue surrounding sports betting will need to be addressed sooner rather than later.
One unlikely proponent, the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, is actually on board with the idea of legalizing and regulating gambling on sports in the US.
“It should be legal, it should be regulated, it should be transparent.”
Silver and many others know that betting on sports will happen regardless of what they decide, with the difference being that it will be beyond their control, and that is where illegal activities take place. This would be a step in the right direction to cutting down on these activities and placing them in regulated casinos that are already under high scrutiny and surveillance.
DFS and NFL Friendship Viewed as Hypocrisy
Many fans do not understand why the NFL chooses to ban one form of gambling when they are allowing Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) to reign free, and with their blessing. They view that as Goodell being a hypocrite, as the same type of gambling is done at DFS sites, as there are at casino sportsbooks in Las Vegas.
Many states, including New Jersey, have been pretty vocal about being able to legalize and regulate sports betting but have not been successful so far. With this in mind, the American Gaming Association (AGA) President Geoff Freeman told Goodell,
“Nothing threatens the integrity of sports more than a thriving and opaque sports betting black market. Concerns about athletes playing games in Las Vegas are dramatically misinformed. It’s time for a fresh look at the sports betting prohibition that is pushing a widely popular sport betting activity to an illegal market that threatens the integrity of the sports we love.”
With only Las Vegas being able to supply the US with legal sportsbooks, it would be great for fans and bettors to be able to legally place bets within their state, or even at the legal online US casinos.
