* Sports Illustrated…
The United States Supreme Court agreed on Monday to allow New Jersey’s bid for sports betting at its casinos and racetracks, effectively ending prohibition on a $100 billion industry and striking down restrictions on wagering outside of Nevada.
“The legalization of sports gambling requires an important policy choice, but the choice is not ours to make,” the Supreme Court announced. “Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each State is free to act on its own.”
The ruling could allow as many as 25 other states to seek similar allowances.
The case, Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, dealt with if the government had the right to “impermissibly commandeer the regulatory power of States.”
The opinion is here.
* Looks like our spring state legislative session might finally see an uptick in activity…
* American Gaming Association President Geoff Freeman…
“Today’s decision is a victory for the millions of Americans who seek to bet on sports in a safe and regulated manner. According to a Washington Post survey, a solid 55 percent of Americans believe it’s time to end the federal ban on sports betting. Today’s ruling makes it possible for states and sovereign tribal nations to give Americans what they want: an open, transparent, and responsible market for sports betting. Through smart, efficient regulation this new market will protect consumers, preserve the integrity of the games we love, empower law enforcement to fight illegal gambling, and generate new revenue for states, sporting bodies, broadcasters and many others. The AGA stands ready to work with all stakeholders – states, tribes, sports leagues, and law enforcement – to create a new regulatory environment that capitalizes on this opportunity to engage fans and boost local economies.”
…Adding… NCSL…
“NCSL applauds today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down PASPA as unconstitutional and violative of the 10th Amendment. NCSL supports every state’s right to regulate gaming and sports betting, including both legalization and prohibition, without unwarranted federal preemption and interference. This landmark ruling provides states another tool with which they can continue to craft smart, tailored policies during a time of congressional gridlock in Washington.”
- Not Rich - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 10:00 am:
putting a bill together will take a long time.. lots of pigs at the feeding table.. everyone will have their hands out, and remember, every hand that touches a bet is less money for the State, and less money for the bettor.. It will still be more lucrative to the bettor to do this offshore..
- Chris Widger - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 10:04 am:
We don’t have the political will to implement sportsbetting in a non-corrupt way. A great system would be letting anyone go to any local establishment and place a small bet (say, up to $100) with the state getting a tidy 0.5% of that (plus income tax on wins), with larger bets restricted to established casinos (and many more casino licenses available). Instead, Rivers Casino will give a large bag of money to the state and be the only place you can bet. Hard pass.
- RNUG - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 10:04 am:
Legalize it and tax it; Illinois needs the revenue.
- Macbeth - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 10:05 am:
Good news.
- Big Joe - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 10:15 am:
Legalize it, tax it, and build up the horse racing industry in our state. We have fallen WAY behind our neighboring states for quality horse racing in Illinois. The thousands of people in the horse industry deserve an equal opportunity for prosperity, and our state can use all the additional revenue that will be generated by allowing gambling on sports at casinos and race tracks.
- SSL - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 10:25 am:
This should help with revrnue, but only if Illinois doesn’t mess it up. Wait, what am I saying, of course they’ll mess it up.
Pretty soon the entire state will be populated by a bunch of pothead gamblers, but we’ll have more tax money to pay off the pensions.
Huge win.
- DE - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 10:26 am:
Amen Big Joe. Was I naïve to believe House and Senate had a bill ready, with this decision in mind, and were just waiting for the SC opinion to pass and send to Gov before end of spring session?
- Roman - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 10:30 am:
Most of the sports betting action has moved online, so the state needs a plan to grab that business. It probably requires a statutory framework to allow the AG to crackdown on banks that allow credit card holders to set up accounts with off-shore gaming websites. Those off-shore sites will be able to undercut legal betting sites with lower fees and better odds, which will prevent the state from collecting the financial windfall some are predicting.
- muses - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 10:32 am:
=and tax it=
Remember there is an enormous black market in this area. Tax it too high and the casino has to adjust odds to compensate and the gambler simply goes back to the neighborhood bookie or illegal internet book where there is no tax and better odds are offered. Lots of issues to be worked out still, but agood start…
=people in the horse industry deserve an equal opportunity for prosperity=
LOL they currently have horseracing books at their tracks and off site track betting. The fact that they cannot compete with casinos has resulted in massive “impact fees” paid to the track owners, yet they continue to want subsidies for their outdated, failing businesses. (They even bribed the governor for cash too!)
- Amalia - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 10:34 am:
so many teams in England have sports betting logos on them. welcome to new sponsors.
- Friend of the devil - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 10:40 am:
The state should authorize its own Lottery Department to operate online sports betting. Easy least.
- anonymous 2 - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 10:46 am:
The mathematically challenged may now be unimpeded in their pursuit of fun and fast-tracked poverty.
- Prudence - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 10:52 am:
The state should give its own lottery department the authority to operate online sports betting. Illinois would make a fortune.
- Langhorne - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 10:59 am:
DE, rest assured several bills have been drafted and tucked away for months, waiting for this opening. They just werent made public. Now the “games” begin–who pays, who benefits.
- DuPage Bard - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 11:10 am:
Draft Kings has already sent out the email that they are formatted and ready to go.
There is no real way to accomplish before May 31. Rules, interests, where the Gov stands on a veto, how to whip the votes, will it have to go through JCAR on the rules, what share will local municipalities get, how to capture online revenue, etc etc
It’s a positive ruling no doubt for a gaming state such as ours but this is a ways off. Look at how long the gaming machines took and that was the primary funding for a capitol bill which was being used before the machines were even out there.
- Smitty Irving - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 11:18 am:
Legalize and regulate it (but based on medical marijuana don’t let Lou Lang anywhere near it!). IF it isn’t overtaxed, should kill off what’s left of The Outfit (remember the 2007 Family Secrets trial in Chicago where it was revealed The Outfit does sports betting only).
- wordslinger - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 11:39 am:
–We don’t have the political will to implement sportsbetting in a non-corrupt way. A great system would be letting anyone go to any local establishment and place a small bet (say, up to $100) with the state getting a tidy 0.5% of that (plus income tax on wins), with larger bets restricted to established casinos (and many more casino licenses available). –
Yeah, just like you can’t play slots anywhere except at the big casinos. I bet some mom-and-pop taverns around the state would love to supplement their incomes with a few slot machines.
But your crystal ball has spoken. Reality need not intrude.
- RNUG - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 11:48 am:
== Pretty soon the entire state will be populated by a bunch of pothead gamblers, but we’ll have more tax money to pay off the pensions. ==
Been in any casinos recently? Lots of grey and white hair there … some of them.are spending their retirement there.
- 33 ward - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 12:02 pm:
The land of the free and the home of the brave is going to let consenting adults do what they want to each other?
What is this world coming to?
- Ron - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 12:05 pm:
I personally hate gambling, but I hope illinois starts collecting taxes on this asap.
It’s really an unintelligent person tax.
- cannon649 - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 12:05 pm:
Legalize it quickly-
Make sure that all proceeds go to debt reduction - do not not allow any of they politicians to touch it.
Also also those bars and restaurants may soon have a “Sports Book” next to those slots.
- 47th Ward - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 12:55 pm:
===It’s really an unintelligent person tax.===
While that’s something you may know more about than the rest of us Ron, I disagree. Games of random chance with astronomical odds and obscenely low pay-outs (lotteries) are for fools. Sports wagering is all about information, and thus has an element of skill to it, not unlike poker.
The problem usually is, the ways that information is gathered and shared tend to be kept closely guarded, meaning some punters have a better chance at collecting than others.
Whatever proceeds this generates, and I’d love it if it helps solve the pension mess, it really ought to spend a little money on ensuring the integrity of the game(s) being wagered on. Otherwise it will quickly become a “suckers” tax.
- lake county democrat - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 12:58 pm:
It’ll surely act as a regressive tax, but go ahead and legalize it. On a tangent: sports talkradio is going to be nearly unlistenable. Before when online gambling was a grey area, the stations were chock-full of ads for casinos, oddsmakers, fantasy leagues, etc. Now those ads will triple, and hosts will be talking more about beating the spread. It’s a hard thing to describe, but there’s a certain level of “dirty old man” badness to sportstalk already, this may be the tipping point for some.
- Juice - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 1:25 pm:
lcd, if that means I never again have to listen to a KARS-4-KIDS commercial on the Score, I’m fine with it.
- lake county democrat - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 1:34 pm:
Juice - if Rich will allow me a complete tangent, 1) I sympathize and almost agree, 2) if you haven’t already, check out their wikipedia page - those ads are sooooo deceptive as to what the “kids charity” really is (not to mention their terrible ratio of money raised to money spent on substance).
- Jose Abreu's next homer - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 1:35 pm:
Corruption aside, watch out for the sport leagues’ lobbies who want a cut.
- BlueDogDem - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 1:37 pm:
….lotteries are for fools. Unintelligent person tax. WOW.
- wordslinger - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 1:43 pm:
–….lotteries are for fools. Unintelligent person tax. –
It’s not a tax because it’s voluntary. Just because elitists like yourself choose another form of recreation does not make those that play “unintelligent.”
- City Zen - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 1:43 pm:
Where do I place my bet on the UIUC-WIU football game?
- OneMan - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 2:07 pm:
City Zen,
I would say regardless of the line, put the money on WIU.
Still wish U of I had the stones to play NIU in football, since NIU had the same number of Big 10 wins as U of I last season…
- wordslinger - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 2:12 pm:
–Still wish U of I had the stones to play NIU in football,–
Unless it’s a fat payday to be a punching bag on the road, the Illini will try to schedule sure wins out-of-conference.
Those are few and far between these days, and the Huskies ain’t one of them.
- Canada - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 3:57 pm:
Set it up the way Ontario does. Allow sports betting at same place lottery exists. Not money line bets per game, but lotto like games which essentially run a parlay ticket. Diff types of bets exist (over/under, spread, etc), but all layoffs are made at existing lottery locations. Allows for smaller bets, fewer wins and max take by regulators. Limiting to racetracks and casinos is garbage. If anything, let straight money line bets take place there and run the parlay games at lottery locations
- City Zen - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 4:16 pm:
==Unless it’s a fat payday to be a punching bag on the road, the Illini will try to schedule sure wins out-of-conference==
When the Illini scheduled their current out-of-conference home-and-home series with USF, the Bulls were considered the punching bag.
- Canada - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 4:37 pm:
Big benefit to whichever state gets this done first. Big head start on everyone else in region.
- Arthur Andersen - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 9:34 pm:
Watch for a former Illinoisan, hotelier of some repute, and now gaming tycoon to be a strong competitor for a license. He has an online gaming app that wouldn’t take much to adapt to sports betting.
- BlueDogDem - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 6:01 am:
Worddinger. WOW. I thought you were brighter.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 8:03 am:
–Worddinger. WOW. I thought you were brighter.–
Don’t have to be too bright to see that your regular guy act is a phony. Millions of people choose to play lotteries for recreation, but to an elitist like you that just makes them unintelligent.
My thoughts and prayers to you for your misplaced superiority complex.