{"id":19361,"date":"2017-02-10T10:18:12","date_gmt":"2017-02-10T18:18:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/?p=19361"},"modified":"2017-02-13T09:43:39","modified_gmt":"2017-02-13T17:43:39","slug":"sports-betting-a-political-football-lucky-dragon-doing-just-fine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/sports-betting-a-political-football-lucky-dragon-doing-just-fine\/","title":{"rendered":"Sports betting a political football; Lucky Dragon doing just fine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lawmakers in Maryland<\/strong> are entering the fray over sports betting. Unlike their counterparts in New Jersey<\/strong>, they’re not challenging the federal government directly. The proposed law, as drafted, would make sports betting legal in the Free State *if* the Bradley \"\"Act<\/strong> is either repealed or amended to permit single-gaming betting. (None of this parlay-only nonsense that you have to endure in Delaware<\/strong>.) That’s a big “if” unless President Trump — it’s still surrealistic to type that phrase — puts his money where his mouth is about the sensibility of legalizing sports betting on a widespread basis. Or the Supreme Court<\/strong> could rule in New Jersey’s favor and toss the Bradley Act on the ash heap of history.<\/p>\n

The draft bill in Maryland would establish a study commission and mandate that the law be ratified by a voter referendum. Not surprisingly, MGM Resorts International<\/strong>, Caesars Entertainment<\/strong> and Cordish Gaming<\/strong> are already on board with the Lege<\/a>. We might see political action<\/a> in New York State<\/strong>, where Assemblyman Gary Pretlow<\/strong> says\u00a0\u201cPushing sports betting is at the top of my agenda right now,\u201d leapfrogging Internet<\/strong> gambling. Pretlow’s constituents include Empire City Casino<\/strong>, which could benefit from sports-betting lagniappe. There are rumblings out of \u00a0such unlikely places as Hawaii<\/strong>, Mississippi<\/strong> and South Carolina<\/strong>, along with the revival of a sports-betting bill in Michigan<\/strong>. “I am the kind of guy that\u2019s willing to take\u00a0on the government,\u201d says Rep. Robert Kosowski<\/strong> of his frontal assault on the Bradley Act<\/a>. \u00a0He added,\u00a0\u201cThis is\u00a0a billion-dollar industry, just Michigan alone, by some of the small studies we have seen …\u00a0All we\u2019re doing right now is keeping illegal bookmaking happening in our state when we could regulate it.” Kosowski’s previous attempt to legitimize sports betting sputtered out in committee two years ago, though he thinks the rotation of chairmanships bodes well for this effort. But he’s realistic, telling a reporter that “at least we can get the message out and at least we can start working on it.\u00a0Are we going to do it next month? No. But maybe next year.\u201d Good luck to all of them.<\/p>\n