Is The NBA To Back Betting?

Nevada’s monopoly on sports betting might soon come to an end as even the Commissioner of the NBA sings its praises.

The limitation upon people who like to bet on sports in the US is that as it stands one can only do so in that gambling oasis made up nearly entirely of desert, Nevada. Sports betting has some inherent connotations in America that have proven difficult to shift, and most sporting organizations have been careful to shy away from seeming supportive of any association with gambling at all, following historical scandals into which we need not go.

NBA Commissioner Likes Sports Betting

• Sports leagues tend to dislike betting after numerous scandals

• Adam Silver says gambling creates more engagement with sports

• US gambling laws under review in some states

So when Adam Silver, current NBA Commissioner, made comments on the subject they instantly made gambling news, and set many industry watching tongues wagging as the possibilities were played out in the minds of optimists everywhere. Not least of which was New Jersey who are currently in process of reaching a decision on sports betting within the state after the governor, Republican Chris Christie, declared it decriminalized in casinos and racetracks this week.

“Everybody knows here that if you have a gentlemen’s bet or a small wager on any kind of sports contest, it makes you that much more… engaged in it.” Silver said at a sports forum in New York going onto say he expects that will be a dividend the sports themselves can reap. Mike Bass spokesman for the NBA refused to confirm or deny if Mr. Silver’s comments represented a policy shift, and the NFL and MLB have both remained strategically silent on the matter.

New Jersey’s push for legalized sports betting comes despite the numerous casino closures in Atlantic City that have left up to 9,000 people out of work, and the fact that only 2% of revenue in Nevada casinos comes from sports betting. Whether it can be an industry that will prove profitable enough to have warranted this lengthy process remains to be seen, but lawyers for the casinos hope to have it sorted out so punters can place a buck or two on the Super Bowl next February.