The push to regulate the sports betting industry in the United States continues to gather momentum as a recent poll conducted by the Mellman Group reveals that while organizations like the NFL, NHL and NBA have opposed the concept of legalizing the sports betting industry in the past, sports fans have a completely different opinion.
A survey was carried out in January 2016 when 800 sports fans expressed their opinion as to whether they want the ban on sports betting to be lifted. Sixty five percent of those votes stated that they want the sports betting industry to be legalized and seventy two percent agreed that if each state had the power to legalize the sports betting industry, it would make it a lot safer for fans to place bets.
The sixty five percent who want sports betting legalized believe that it will have no impact on match fixing in sports but will actually help to boost the integrity of these games. The survey results was released by the American Gaming Association revealed that more than eighty percent of those surveyed plan to watch Super Bowl 50 and wanted the current gambling laws in the country to be changed and sixty six percent of these individuals believe that sports betting should not come under federal law but under state law.
Even though sports betting is illegal in the United States, billions of dollars are traded on illegal sports betting transactions and the Super Bowl 50 is one of the biggest events for the illegal sports betting industry. The NFL continues to remain against the idea of legalizing sports betting as it believes that the industry has the power to influence game in a negative way with match fixing being one of the biggest evils.
In a statement, Geoff Freeman, the president and CEO of the AGA responded to the survey results by saying, “America’s passion for football is rivaled only by its enthusiasm for sports betting. Fans believe regulated sports betting enhances the game experience, deepens their engagement with their favorite athletes and teams and protects the integrity of games.”
The NBA has also opposed the idea of sports betting for a long time but in 2014 NBA Commissioner Adam Silver decided to change his stance and are now willing to back a legalization of sports betting. Rob Manfred, the Major League Baseball commissioner has also softened his stance against sports betting and recently stated that it might be time for sports betting laws to be reviewed again.
