Sports Leagues Garner Revenue From Gambling

"Baseball will continue to change the configuration of its rules as their business practices shift and change. Their view on things that may have been taboo in the past, change..."

MLB has an agreement with a scratch-off lottery provider to allow the use of team logos on lottery tickets.

The Michigan Lottery this year has sold more than $10 million worth of lottery tickets that carried the Detroit Tigers Logo and offered prizes up to $100,000.

Scientific Games, Inc., based out of New York, has persuaded MLB to allow the use of their teams logos on state lottery games. Currently there are 22 teams that participate, it started last year with the Boston Red Sox and it continues to grow.

Comerica Park, which houses the Detroit Tigers, also has 2 kiosks within the park that sells these tickets.

MLB is not alone in this activity. the NBA, and NHL also allow teams to participate and each team that does, receives a profit from it.

This past year, the major sports organizations co-authored a letter to congress that appealed to and appeased the right wing christian group Focus on the Family. That letter said that the leagues were against gambling and encouraged congress not to weaken the UIGEA, which is currently under fire from many millions of Americans and several foreign nations.

The truth is that these leagues are not against gambling, in fact, MLB alone this year received about $6 billion in revenue, some of which came from gambling industry advertising and sponsorship.

Comerica Park advertised within its stadium for MotorCity Casino, which is owned by Marian Ilitch, the wife of Tigers owner Mitch Ilitch, and MGM Grand Casino.

It is clear that there is a softening of gambling restrictions when it benefits a team of a league. This year, the Baseball Winter meeting is being held in Las Vegas.

Business of Sports Network president, Maury Brown believes that the marriage of sports leagues and gambling will be driven by profits, saying that, "Baseball will continue to change the configuration of its rules as their business practices shift and change. Their view on things that may have been taboo in the past, change," adding that "There's definitely a softening of prohibitions against legalized gambling in baseball." Pete Rose will be happy to hear that.

Now might be a good time for the MLB, NHL, and NBA to re-issue that letter to congress, and be honest this time.