Adam Silver Writes Op-Ed Piece Defending Legalization of Betting on Pro Sports
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has acted proactively on a variety of issues since taking over, but pushing for the legalization of sports gambling is undoubtedly his most far-reaching push.
Silver wrote an op-ed in The New York Times about how he believes that legalizing sports gambling outside of Nevada would help to thrust what is largely an underground enterprise into a more regulated and transparent environment:
"In light of these domestic and global trends, the laws on sports betting should be changed. Congress should adopt a federal framework that allows states to authorize betting on professional sports, subject to strict regulatory requirements and technological safeguards.
These requirements would include: mandatory monitoring and reporting of unusual betting-line movements; a licensing protocol to ensure betting operators are legitimate; minimum-age verification measures; geo-blocking technology to ensure betting is available only where it is legal; mechanisms to identify and exclude people with gambling problems; and education about responsible gaming.
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ESPN's David Payne Purdum asked the NFL if they had a response to Silver's comments:
Teddy Sevransky, who covers professional sports gambling on a variety of platforms and makes weekly picks on SportsMemo.com, found Silver's op-ed to be welcome news:
This echoes statements Silver made at the Bloomberg Sports Business Summit in September. He made the point that harsh financial realities will force more states other than Nevada to legalize sports betting. Silver also said that betting would allow fans to build more connections with sports in general.
"If you have a gentleman's bet or a small wager on any kind of sports contest, it makes you that much more engaged in it," he said, per Bloomberg.com's . "That's where we're going to see it pay dividends. If people are watching a game and clicking to bet on their smartphones, which is what people are doing in the United Kingdom right now, then it's much more likely you’re going to stay tuned for a long time."
While he served as David Stern's deputy commissioner, Silver's attitudes toward gambling are the polar opposite of his predecessor. When the state of New Jersey angled for the legalization of sports betting in 2012, Stern was an outspoken critic.
"The one thing I'm certain of is New Jersey has no idea what it's doing and doesn't care because all it's interested in is making a buck or two," he said, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "They don't care that it's at our potential loss."
New Jersey recently came close to allowing sports gambling in its casinos last month, but a federal judge blocked the move, granting a restraining order to a group consisting of major American sports leagues.
The judge's ruling isn't permanent, so the possibility exists that sportsbooks open up at Atlantic City casinos.
With a powerful figure like Silver openly making a push for sports betting, other states could piggyback on New Jersey's move and add more momentum to the cause.
