Adam Silver: Legalized sports betting 'inevitable' in more states
The NBA isn't taking a hard-line position against sports betting anymore. Commissioner Adam Silver, speaking at the Bloomberg Business Summit in New York, said on Thursday that the league will eventually profit from legalized gambling on sports in the future, via Bloomberg:
It's inevitable that, if all these states are broke, that there will be legalized sports betting in more states than Nevada and we will ultimately participate in that,” said Silver, 52.
Silver, who has been with the NBA for 22 years and replaced former Commissioner David Stern in February, said that he doesn't have any moral issue with sports betting. The league, which already allows teams to create marketing deals with casinos, would further profit from the legalization of sports wagering outside Nevada, he said.
“If you have a gentleman's bet or a small wager on any kind of sports contest, it makes you that much more engaged in it,” Silver said. “That's where we're going to see it pay dividends. If people are watching a game and clicking to bet on their smartphones, which is what people are doing in the United Kingdom right now, then it's much more likely you're going to stay tuned for a long time.”
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24694781/adam-silver-legalized-sports-betting-inevitable