NBA May Be Changing Online Gambling Stance
December 26, 2009
In what can only be seen as a crazy turn of events, the National Basketball Association may be reversing their stance on online gambling. Perhaps not as well known in their opposition to online gambling as the National Football League is, they are against the idea as they see it as a possible corruption of the sport. However, breaking away from the NFL they are allegedly considering endorsing online gambling instead of opposing it.
In a recent interview in Sport Illustrated, NBA Commissioner David Stern allegedly suggested legalizing online gambling because it could help both the sport and the gambling industry. Stern said that it could possibly build a relationship between online gambling and them so that those that choose to gamble would be using reputable groups instead of just anyone who came along.
He said that embracing online gambling could be a “huge opportunity” for both industries and left it at that. If this is true and he is considering a way of working with the online gambling industry, then opening this door could lead to a huge economic opportunity for the NBA as well as a secure place to do gambling for the online gambling community. It would also give them a much needed boost towards legalization.
The article then went on to say that if online gambling was a legal and taxable form of revenue then the government would be able to police sports betting and protect the possible revenue base that would be coming forth from such a move. This would safe guard both the league and the online gambling patrons from less than reputable companies and would go a long way to keeping corruption out of the online gambling industry.
