NBA commish Silver pens op
Think all commissioners of major American pro leagues are vehemently against gambling on their sports? Don't bet on it.
In what seems like a 180-degree turnaround from his predecessor, David Stern, NBA commissioner Adam Silver came out in favor of legalized sports betting in an op-ed piece in the New York Times Thursday.
Silver, who characterized legalized sports betting as 'inevitable' back in September, writes that while betting on sports is illegal everywhere, the industry still exists and that 'those who wish to bet resort to illicit bookmaking operations and shady offshore websites.'
Silver, who was Stern's longtime deputy before taking over the commissioner job full time back in February, esitmates illegal sports wagering on pro sports to be a $400 billion industry. He writes that laws on sports betting should be changed due to 'an obvious appetite among sports fans for a safe and legal way to wager on professional sporting events.'
For an example of how it is done successfully, the commissioner takes a look overseas.
'Outside of the United States, sports betting and other forms of gambling are popular, widely legal and subject to regulation. In England, for example, a sports bet can be placed on a smartphone, at a stadium kiosk or even using a television remote control,' Silver writes.
While New Jersey tried to pass legislation allowing gambling on sports events at casinos and racetracks, Silver cautions that 'without a comprehensive federal solution, state measures such as New Jersey's recent initiative will be both unlawful and bad public policy.'
Silver thinks there is a way to legalize sports gambling while protecting the integrity of preofessional sports.
'Let me be clear,' he writes. 'Any new approach must ensure the integrity of the game... I oppose any course of action that would compromise these objectives. But I believe that sports betting should be brought out of the underground and into the sunlight where it can be appropriately monitored and regulated.'
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