Adam Silver doesn’t regret his 2014 pro sports betting comment

It took years for major sports to introduce sports betting, but not without controversy. As commissioners struggled to allow various sportsbooks to open across the country, the NBA took the first big step.

Adam Silver has been in favor of legalization from the start. This was a given when he wrote an op-ed backing this up in 2014. He recently addressed this very issue and, a decade later, joined the editorial.

“I would say when it comes to sports betting, I definitely don’t regret writing that op-ed and advocating for the legalization of sports betting,” Silver told the Associated Press. “I still think you can’t turn back the clock. I think, as I said at the time, with the advent of the Internet and the widespread availability of online sports betting… we had to deal head-on with technology and realize that if we don’t legalize sports betting, people will find ways to make it illegal. “

Silver’s thoughts have not changed since he wrote the article, but admitted that introducing gambling into sports comes with some drawbacks and setbacks, some of which vary from state to state.

“I was in favor of a federal framework for sports betting. I still am,” Silver added. “I still think the hodgepodge from state to state makes it harder for the league to manage. I think that understandably creates competition between states – just think of New York, New Jersey or a situation like that where you’re both competing for the same customer, so you can compete on tax rates and other things and a regulatory framework .

“I think there are definitely downsides to sports betting and I think we need to pay a lot of attention to that. I think where we hear it in multiple categories, there are certainly incidents of underage betting. We need to pay close attention to what may be going on on college campuses, and certainly people are betting in over their heads.”

In March the Legal sports report reported that the NBA and MLB would see a $1.7 billion increase in revenue from legal sports betting. Fan engagement would generate an additional $425 million for the NBA and $160 million in game-related revenue.

During March Madness alone, Americans legally bet around $3 billion on gambling New York Times’ German Lopez.

On the other hand, former NBA player Jontay Porter was banned for life by the league when it was revealed that he had leaked confidential information to sports bettors who were betting on games. Silver said this incident was “glaring” and it was obvious how to track it down; DraftKings was one of those betting sites that Porter used. DK could see that the biggest money winner in prop bets was tied to him.

“We take this very seriously,” Silver said. “As I said on day one, it’s not a big deal for us in terms of revenue stream for the league, but it makes a big difference in engagement. “It’s something people clearly enjoy. I would put it in the category of “other things in society” in that I don’t criminalize them, but on the other hand you have to regulate them heavily because if there are no guardrails, people get into conflict and create problems for themselves, possibly for theirs Families or for companies like us.”

[Associated Press]
[Legal Sports Report]
[New York Times]