NFL Sports Gambling Featured by Montana Lottery
Sports gambling may be another one of those personal choices that legislators like to deny citizens because they see it as sinful and harmful. But, like most things, when tax revenue becomes available, politicians suddenly see sports wagering as a wonderful thing.
Montana has discovered an interesting way to combine the nation's fixation with sports and its state lottery to boost ticket sales and attract new customers. Montana offers fantasy football betting in a lottery ticket format.
Participants choose players in the National Football League, represented by numbers on a ticket just like normal lottery selections. The statistics generated by those players yield points scored in the format, as in fantasy football, and high scorers cash in for lottery winnings.
By federal law, sports gambling was made illegal in 1992. But four states, Nevada, Montana, Delaware, and Oregon, were grandfathered in the right to have legal sports gambling, as each had existing or expired sports wagering programs. Delaware and Oregon have had lottery programs that took sports play, which each have since suspended. Of course, Nevada has casino sportsbooks actively taking millions per day in action.
The money Montana generates goes to the state horse racing industry, which has closed three of the existing six tracks in recent years. Montana Lottery Director George Parisot expects the game to produce between three and five million dollars annually.
Even though sports leagues are unhappy with any prospects of legalized sports gambling, Montana has plans to widen its fantasy lottery game to include NASCAR, baseball, golf, and even pro rodeo.
It's amazing how a few tax dollars in the coffers can change a politician's viewpoint on the evils of gambling.
