Adam Silver: Legalize sports betting

[MileHigh]

Yes. A thousand times yes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/14/opinion/nba-commissioner-adam-silver-legalize-sports-betting.html?_r=2

 

[LongTimeListener]

Adam Silver: Let Me Get Vegas' Expansion Money

 

[JackReacher]

Still unsure why this is even a debate these days.

 

[Vombatus]

NBA recently bought into FanDuel, so Silver's remarks are even more self-serving.

 

[Boom_70]

Rick Kuhn and Ernie Cobb agree

 

[playthrough]

Still unsure why this is even a debate these days.

Amazing, isn't it?

I'll write more after I run down to the gas station for Marlboros and scratch-offs.

 

[trifectarich]

I'm really not sure of Silver's motives here, but once the federal government is involved, it's bound to be done in a way that's cumbersome, inconvenient and illogical.

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

I'm completely for this.

Regulate it, tax it, and do something good with the money it raises.

 

[The Big Ragu]

What is your reason for regulating it? And how would you regulate it?

 

[Michael_ Gee]

As in Great Britain, I would assume, through a licensing process for sports books. Since just about every state in the Union has casinos, this process should be easy.

 

[Boom_70]

What is your reason for regulating it? And how would you regulate it?

The regulation template seems to work in Nevada and Delaware.

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

What Mike said. Somebody would have to oversee it.

I sort of look at it the same way I do with marijuana. People are going to do it no matter what, so why not get some good out of it.

 

[playthrough]

Yep, let the states sort it out. They've proven to be able to run the numbers rackets very well. No reason you shouldn't be able to fill out a betting slip like you would a Powerball bubble slip (or even Keno in some states), hand to a kid behind the counter to scan into a machine and be in action. It doesn't have to be complicated.

 

[The Big Ragu]

What Mike said. Somebody would have to oversee it.

I sort of look at it the same way I do with marijuana. People are going to do it no matter what, so why not get some good out of it.

I still question why someone has to oversee it. For what purpose?

People are going to do lots of things, no matter what. Isn't that their business? They are going to buy X Boxes. They are going to have sex. They are going to buy birthday cards. Why is this so different that it requires licensing (which is usually just a way for those already in to create barriers to entry for others) and someone controlling, or overseeing, it?

 

[trifectarich]

Yep, let the states sort it out. They've proven to be able to run the numbers rackets very well. No reason you shouldn't be able to fill out a betting slip like you would a Powerball bubble slip (or even Keno in some states), hand to a kid behind the counter to scan into a machine and be in action. It doesn't have to be complicated.

I'm hesitant to let each state make its own rules. I look at horse racing, where the rules on betting and medications are different, and it's a mess. Maybe sports betting is just far simpler to administer; I hope so. Let's get this done.

 

[playthrough]

Yep, let the states sort it out. They've proven to be able to run the numbers rackets very well. No reason you shouldn't be able to fill out a betting slip like you would a Powerball bubble slip (or even Keno in some states), hand to a kid behind the counter to scan into a machine and be in action. It doesn't have to be complicated.

I'm hesitant to let each state make its own rules. I look at horse racing, where the rules on betting and medications are different, and it's a mess. Maybe sports betting is just far simpler to administer; I hope so. Let's get this done.

I would have no illusions that it would be "good" gambling. I'd love to just be able to place a straight bet on State U minus-7 like I'm betting 1-4-9 in the Pick 3. If the line moves to -6 an hour before kickoff, I wouldn't expect to be able to get that. They'll need to make it as basic as possible, on slips probably printed on Mondays or whatever.

 

[JackReacher]

Big difference between getting a line an hour before kickoff and having to make your bets based on lines that are 5 days old. There's a ton of middle ground there.

 

[playthrough]

Big difference between getting a line an hour before kickoff and having to make your bets based on lines that are 5 days old. There's a ton of middle ground there.

Of course. But I'm saying the states overnight aren't likely to be very good bookmakers. Gotta start somewhere.

 

[Football_Bat]

It's going to be a long process, like with same-sex marriage and cannabis. Public attitudes have to change over time, especially in the Bible Belt where only recently did you see lotteries and a few casinos. It'll take decades there. It will have to be state-by-state because of the climate in DC.

 

[Small Town Guy]

I agree with Silver and the consensus here. But, and this means nothing except it clicked in my head, the last part of Silver's piece, and some of the posts here remind me of the dons talking about narcotics in The Godfather.

http://youtu.be/6jpwqWPKAUc?t=2m38s

"I wanna control it as a business, to keep it respectable."