In May 2018, the US Supreme Court declared PASPA – – the Professional And Amateur Sports Protection Act – – unconstitutional. No need to relitigate the issues in the case, but the ruling opened the doors for any states in the US that wanted to legalize wagering on sports were free to do so. PASPA had prevented that prior to May 2018.
So, what has transpired in the more than 5 years since that Supreme Court ruling? Well, for one thing it showed that whatever evil PASPA was protecting sports from seems minor at best. Gambling on professional and amateur sports opened up to various states has not wrought havoc with those sports nor have there been myriad betting scandals. What has happened is that legislatures in 37 states have passed laws enabling or authorizing sports betting in those states.
Interestingly, the two most populous states – – California and Texas – – are not part of the list of states with legal sports gambling. Please note that I said legal sports gambling because you may be certain that there is plenty of sports gambling taking place in California and Texas in venues other than a sanctioned sportsbook within the borders of those two states. California had two sports gambling items on the ballot as voter referendums in 2023 and both were defeated badly.
To give you an idea of how popular sports gambling is in the US, consider these data:
- In 2018 when sports gambling was confined to Nevada and Delaware, Americans bet $4.6B on sports.
- In 2022 with sportsbooks open in 37 states, Americans bet 93.2B on sports.
Shifting gears … As of this morning the McNeese St. women’s basketball team has a record of 5-9 for the season. Looking at the results of their games, one might conclude that they are in some strange middle ground when it comes to their place in the women’s basketball hierarchy. Consider these scores:
- Baylor 124
- McNeese St. 44
And …
- K-State 101
- McNeese St. 39
And …
- LSU 133
- McNeese St. 44
Those shellackings might lead you to conclude that McNeese St is as bad as it gets in women’s college basketball until you look at these other results:
- McNeese St. 102
- Ecclesia 28
And …
- McNeese St. 107
- North American 77
It seems to me that the McNeese St. Cowgirls are too good to be lumped in with the likes of “schools you have never heard of” and also, they are too bad to try to compete against Big-12 or SEC competition. Maybe they need to pick their lane…
Next up … Do you recall back in 2021 when MLB moved its All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver in the wake of a new Georgia voting law that upset many civil rights advocates who said the law had the potential to restrict access to voting for minority groups. Let me be clear on two points:
- I believe that every US citizen over the age of 18 should be able to vote in any election where he/she is eligible to vote.
- I do not believe that MLB’s decision to move that All-Star Game granted access to voting to a single minority voter who might have been denied a vote in Georgia.
And in case you missed it, MLB has decided to play the 2025 All-Star Game in Atlanta.
Last item for today … The NY Jets activated Aaron Rodgers from Injured Reserve and put him on the 53-man active list. Coach Saleh said he will not play in any of the Jets final three games now that the Jets are mathematically eliminated from the AFC playoffs, but that Rodgers will remain on the 53-man active roster because:
“… it’s all a part of his rehab, and just having him out on the football field is a plus for everyone. It’s a plus for him, it’s a plus for his teammates, so we’re going to keep him on the 53.”
Granted, I do not have any pipeline of information pouring out of the Jets’ locker room, but it does seem like a waste of an active roster spot. If Rodgers had not been hinting for months that he wanted to try to play for real in the late season Jets’ games, would they have even thought about such a move. If so, and if he injures his Achilles again in “active roster drills” next week, will the Jets replace him with Joe Namath on their active roster? If not, why not’?
Finally, let me close with this from G. K. Chesterton:
“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies, probably because they are generally the same people.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
Expanded gambling may not have introduced as many betting scandals as feared, but from a societal standpoint, I don’t think that increased betting opportunities (legal or illegal) is a good thing. Many lives and families have been ruined by a gambling addiction and requiring a disclaimer in small print with a referral to a hotline just doesn’t cut it. This is capitalism at its worst.
Chris:
Agree that gambling causes problems for some people and some families. I also submit that there are lots of other evils out there that do the same and most folks are more tolerant of them than gambling.
My issue is that gambling has and will continue to happen on football games either through legal or illegal outlets. People can get themselves into trouble by over doing it in either venue. But legal gambling also provides some benefits to local governments in terms of taxes and created jobs. If local pols happen to misuse those added revenues, that is not the gambling establishment’s fault. The illegal gambling outlets – – your friendly neighborhood bookie – – does not even provide an opportunity for such benefits.
I understand your position that legalizing gambling may provide some ancillary societal benefits that were not possible when illegal gambling was the only option. Also, that there are other “vices” available and promoted in our society that can/do harm individuals.
However, I still cringe at how commercialized gambling has become. I cannot begin to count the number of betting apps/companies have sprung up. Advertisements are everywhere. And now betting odds and statistics are now part of sports TV pregame shows and broadcasts.
It’s quite a corporate money grab and seems a bit too much to me.