NBA Gives Sacramento Owners OK to Accept Bets at Palms Casino
The National Basketball Association has decided to allow the Maloof brothers, owners of the Sacramento Kings, to accept NBA wagers at their casino, the Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Until now, the sportsbook at the Palms would not take basketball action.
The Palms will still not take plays on the Kings. Likewise, as Harrah's CEO Gary Loveman has a small interest in the Boston Celtics, all Harrah's operations do not allowing gambling on the Celtics.
The decision comes with strange timing, as the league tries to distance itself from the betting scandal involving disgraced referee Tim Donaghy. But it might be a sign that Commissioner David Stern is simply accepting reality, and unable to continue the hypocrisy under which much of professional sports exists.
After all, without gambling, interest in pro sports plummets. And many of the people who have the money to invest in a proposition as expensive as a sports franchise have ties to gambling and casinos.
It makes sense to have these connections conducted in an atmosphere of transparency, rather than hidden behind closed doors. While some still push for avoiding any acknowledgement of sports gambling, the general public is too smart to not see through the sham.
Better that the NBA be at the forefront of recognizing the relationship between gambling and sports than bury its head in the sand, as the National Football League does.
