by David Wharton, Los Angeles Times
Nothing about the man in the dark suit suggested he felt uncomfortable or out of place.
As a top attorney for the NBA, Dan Spillane took his seat on the dais and faced an unlikely audience — a convention of gambling industry executives.
“We have a lot to learn,” he said.
It was just last fall Spillane’s boss, Commissioner Adam Silver, surprised the sports world by coming out in support of legalized betting on games nationwide.
The NBA, NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball stand to make millions by partnering with casinos and online wagering sites. As the buzz from Silver’s announcement subsides, tough questions remain.
Pro sports in America have traditionally held gambling at arm’s length, in large part because of costly point-shaving scandals. Industry consultant Marc Ganis of Sportscorp Ltd. suggests any future affiliation with gaming “has the potential to kill the golden goose.”
That raises a reasonable doubt about whether the other three leagues will join in Silver’s campaign. And no one seems to know when or whether Congress will act on the issue.
Speaking at the recent GiGse convention for Internet gaming, Spillane preached patience.
“We’re at the beginning of what I think is a long process,” he said. “But you have to start somewhere.”
In his New York Times’ op-ed piece last November, Silver focused on offering a palatable alternative to the shadowy world of bookies and offshore betting sites.
“It is a thriving underground business that operates free from regulation or oversight,” he wrote, adding: “There is an obvious appetite among sports fans for a safe and legal way to wager.”
Spillane agreed but acknowledged legalization “would probably be good for business too.”
Nevada casinos handle an estimated $3.9 billion in sports wagers annually, a substantial figure that pales in comparison to the estimated $80 billion to $380 billion that Americans bet each year through unregulated channels.
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