Sports News
NBA outlines gambling plan, seeks cut of bets
The NBA wants 1 percent of every bet made on its games and also seeks more widespread access to gambling for sports fans.
The NBA, responding to efforts to legalize sports betting in New York, told the state senate the league “supports the passage of a comprehensive sports betting bill.”
The NBA wants 1 percent of every bet made on its games and also seeks more widespread access to gambling for sports fans.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s league appears to be the first to come around on sports gambling.
The league on Wednesday formally requested a set of laws that could be the basis for professional sports leagues pushing for national legalized wagering on games, according to ESPN.
Dan Spillane, an attorney for the NBA, testified in front of a New York State Senate committee at a public hearing and for the first time outlined what the league’s price would be to become a partner in legalizing the multibillion-dollar industry.
“We have studied these issues at length,” Spillane said in his statement to lawmakers. “Our conclusion is that the time has come for a different approach that gives sports fans a safe and legal way to wager on sporting events while protecting the integrity of the underlying competitions.
“States like New York and others have reacted by moving forward to discuss and advance new laws that could immediately thereafter permit legal sports betting. We cannot sit on the sidelines while this activity is occurring. …
“We support the passage of a comprehensive sports betting bill that would serve as a model for a 50-state solution — whether that happens in Congress or on a state-by-state basis.”
