The United States Supreme Court will soon be considering whether the federal law prohibiting sports betting outside of Nevada is constitutional. Or not. Or not.
Frankly, it is difficult, if not impossible, to fathom a constitutional argument to leave this law on the books. If one state is allowed to have a certain law, it is obvious other states should have the right to do the same, if it so chooses. With no constitutional argument, those wanting the prohibition to remain — the NCAA and other professional sports leagues — are arguing that lifting the prohibition would harm the integrity of their sports. And they are absolutely, positively wrong.
At the very least, $150 billion is wagered illegally in this country. Because it is illegal, there is no transparency, which means it creates a Petri dish for fixing games. If, on the other hand, that $150 billion was wagered legally, all betting would be documented and suspicious activity would be apparent.
This transparency would be especially important in college games. Unlike other pro athletes, the pro athletes in college don’t make any money. There is a monetary incentive to fix a game or shave points. If sports betting were legal, it would eliminate bookies overnight and players would have nowhere to secretly bet even if they wanted to.
After the United States Supreme Court rules the sports betting prohibition unconstitutional, the pro sports leagues will, no doubt, jump on the gravy train. I’m thinking healthy fees from sports betting companies for the rights to bet on a league’s games. For that matter, don’t be surprised if the leagues, or team owners, don’t jump in the sports betting business themselves. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has been saying as much for years. Ironically, the real push-back may come from states in onerous and excessive fees. Remember states have a monopoly called the lottery, which is undeniably the worst form of gambling there is in that it preys on those least being able to afford gambling and through a grotesque takeout of 50%. It is a rigged gambling scheme overseen by the government that is supposed to be serving us. Have a nice day.