In a colossal act of betrayal, the NFL, Major League Baseball and the PGA Tour have turned on their new gaming ‘partners’ and betrayed them by getting into bed with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) and his dreadful bill to push federal sports betting regulation on the casino industry. “No bet is ever a guaranteed win, but it’s a smart bet that I will strongly advocate for this bill to move forward and that Congress will vote to pass federal legislation very soon,” Schumer said, making a horrible pun. The bill would take oversight from bodies that have some experience (the states), put it in completely inexperienced hands (the federal government), and somehow have to come up with a way to fund this monstrous afterbirth of the illicit amours of Schumer and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) — the phrase “integrity fees” springs to mind. Unspecified “sports betting taxes” have already been mentioned and there’s nothing that gladdens a federal legislator’s heart so much as levying a new tax. (Yes, even ultraconservative Rep. Steve King [R], who once tried to punish the gaming industry with a 30% federal sales tax.)
Schumer, Hatch and gang are swimming against the tide of popular sentiment. As survey commissioned by us-bookies.com concluded that Americans like their sports betting safe, rare and legal — er, or something like that. 42% were happy with the spread of sports wagering so far, with only 12% opposed and fewer still (1%) preferring to stick with the neighbor bookie. (I mean, if you can’t trust a guy named Lefty, who can you trust?) Only 38% of Americans surveyed were planning to have a flutter on the Super Bowl and even then we’re talking small change: $10-$100 apiece.
The expensive centerpiece of Schumer’s regulatory chandelier is a National Sports Wagering Clearinghouse “to receive and share sports wagering data and suspicious transaction reports among sports wagering operators, state regulators, sports organizations and federal and state law enforcement.” States which currently regulate sports betting would be allowed to continue doing so until Schumer passes his bill, which is mighty white of him. An early test of Congress’ resolve on the issue will be whether it approves sports betting in the District of Columbia or tries to smother that baby in the crib.
What’s really galling about all this is the assumption by the Schumers, the Hatches and the major leagues that casino-based sports betting is implicitly corrupt and only Uncle Sam can fix it. As NFL spokeswoman Jocelyn Moore sniffed, “Without continued federal guidance and oversight, we are very concerned that sports leagues and state governments alone will not be able to fully protect the integrity of sporting contests and guard against the harms Congress has long recognized as being associated with sports betting.” MLB called for “a clear need for a set of consistent, nationwide integrity standards to protect the sports that millions of Americans love.” You mean like the ones baseball has had against steroids?
As if this weren’t enough bad news, the Justice Department is looking outlawing Internet gambling with a stroke of a pen by re-reinterpreting the Wire Act, thereby driving a multimillion-dollar industry back underground. (Not that there won’t be legal chances.) If it happens it will be monstrous hypocrisy on the part of Donald Trump who, as a private citizen, maintained that ‘Net-betting was highly lucrative — and he’s right — and that the U.S. should be in it (right again). If the Wire Act is returned to its pre-Obama reading, there will be one winner — Sheldon Adelson — but no shortage of losers. State Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D) urged New Jersey‘s congressional delegation to stand tall, saying, “Internet gaming was responsible for keeping the lights on in some casinos, and sports betting over the internet is the greatest revenue producer for our casinos, as well as the state of New Jersey. Meddling around with that would cause us grave concern.” Us too, although Adelsonian displeasure with Jeff Sessions could be one reason the AG got fired: Adelson’s calls are among the few Trump will take.
* In a move that may get it one big step closer to a megaresort license, Sega Sammy has dibbed Tokyo as its preferred casino site. The capital city isn’t expected to get much love from most other developers, increasing Sega Sammy’s chances. The company’s keeping its options open, in case Osaka opens up, but the Tokyo move appears politically astute.
* We’ve been rather hard on Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) in the past but want to give him a special holiday shout-out for his vow to keep the Grand Canyon open to visitors, no ifs, ands or buts, for the duration of the federal-government shutdown. Goldwater, McCain, Flake, Ducey … Arizona knows how to grow some fine public servants.
