Something good came out of Washington, D.C. today. (How often can one type that sentence?) Reps. Dina Titus (D) and Guy Reschenthaler (R) introduced bipartisan legislation to repeal the excise taxes and head taxes (a $50 annual levy on every employee receiving bets) imposed by the guvmint on legal sports books. We don’t know how an avaricious Congress will react, but go for it. Or, as American Gaming Association President Bill Miller said, “To absorb the unnecessary burden of these taxes, legal sportsbooks are forced to offer worse odds and payouts or reduce investment in promoting legal betting channels to the public. Furthermore, the head tax serves as an impediment to hiring at a time when providing jobs is critical.” Amen.
By the way, we’re still admiring Miller’s verbal jujitsu before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Intransigence would have gotten him nowhere but, if you read between the lines of Miller’s statement to the committee, he outlines what sort of federal regulation (emphasizing a crackdown on illegal betting sites) the gaming industry will and won’t accept. We hope Sens. Mitt Romney (R) and Chuck Schumer (D) were listening. As for committee chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham (R), he’s so far off on the fringe regarding gambling that his views are probably irrelevant.
