09:55 PM
12/21/24
12/21/24
December 11, 2009
Don't Bet Against Legal Online Gambling in the U.S.: An article in the Village Voice on the rise and fall of Internet bookie James Giordano provides a comprehensive look at the strange state of online gambling in the U.S., where it continues to be illegal despite state-run lotteries, off-track betting, Indian casinos and many other forms of legal wagering. A law against Internet gambling is on hold for six months while a bill by Barney Frank (D.-Mass.) to legalize all online gambling except on sports has dozens of sponsors. "The switch is waiting to be flipped," said Giordano's attorney Sandy Becher.
I do not really understand the sports exception. Lots of countries (like the UK) have widespread sports betting and there is not a great deal of corruption, point-skimming, etc. that would put the integrity of the games into disrepute (which I assume is the rationale). I crack up that, at any given time, 2-3 shirt sponsors in most of the top European football leagues are betting outfits but here in the States sports betting is the third rail of public policy discussions.
On edit (after a little more digging around), it looks like sports betting is largely circumscribed by the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. But my guess is that legislation was prompted by either this moralistic, integrity of the sport type of impulse or by Vegas throwing money at lawmakers in order to basically maintain a monopoly on legal sports betting in the U.S.