Sports Betting May Follow Online Gambling to Legalization

As in the instance of Internet casinos, the arguments against legalizing and regulating sports betting pale beside the reasons to do so.

While online casino industry insiders may urge caution until change has actually arrived, some forward-thinking public policy commentators are asserting that not only Internet gambling, but sports wagering as well should be legalized in the US.  As in the instance of Internet casinos, the arguments against legalizing and regulating sports betting pale beside the reasons to do so.

Both the Huffington Post and Bloomberg ran articles this week calling for Congress to make sports wagering legal. At the heart of both reports was the desperate need for public revenues, and the untaxed transactions that occur every day which could generate billions in public monies.

Over ten years ago, the National Gaming Impact Study Commission estimated that US citizens bet over $360 billion a year on sports. The Huffington Post asserts that number may be doubled by now.

Over $80 million was bet legally on the Super Bowl this year in Nevada, but illegal betting across the US is estimated as high as $4 billion, with another $3 billion around the rest of the world. The National Football League lobbies against gambling, but it is clearly in denial about the major reason fans tune in to games each week.

Advocates of sports gambling staying illegal point out the potential dangers of gambling corrupting games and events. But that danger already exists, and is more likely to slither into the heart of sports if the existence of gambling is denied, like an ostrich sticking its head in the sand.

European sports leagues avoid corruption and match-fixing by cooperating with online casinos and sportsbooks. After all, fixing seeks to take advantage of the rift between sports operators and those on gamble on events, making them both victims. If that rift doesn't exist, criminal influences find altering outcomes much harder.

If Congress would act to repeal the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, gambling processes could become transparent, and regulation could ensure revenue and consumer safety. This is as reasonable and obvious as... well, legalized online gambling.