Sports Leagues Oppose Internet Gambling

The House Financial Services Committee has received a letter from the four major U.S. sports leagues and the NCAA in which they were asked to oppose the Internet Gambling Regulation and the Enforcement Act.

The organizations contended that sports betting can corrupt athletes or it can make the sports look corrupt. The leagues were worried that if the internet gambling in the U.S would expand, anyone would be able to place bets on their games, even if they don’t want to be included in the betting options.

They said that if online poker, lotteries, or other forms of gambling were legalized in the U.S, then the European Union or other major trading partners could request the World Trade Organization to rule against all gambling restrictions.

The U.K officials did not agree with this reasoning, and they see the problem from another point of view. Ciaran O'Brien, head of public relations for Ladbrokes, said that people want to bet on the sports offered by the four leagues, and that it would be in their interest to allow people to gamble on them.

Most likely the NFL (National Football League), NBA (National Basketball Association), MLB (Major League Baseball), NHL (National Hockey League), and NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) won’t change their position about sports gambling, but other professional leagues might.

The AFL (Arena Football League) just signed a five year deal contract with ESPN, and they are as yet unsure if they would let the sports books include them in a regulated environment.

Chris McCloskey, executive vice president of communications for the Arena Football League said that they haven’t decided upon allowing gambling on their league or not, but if the gambling would compromise their games, they would definitely not allow it.

The NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA and MLB refused to offer any other information about the subject. The position of the leagues about gambling is confusing: NFL teams must offer weekly injuries reports to the league for gambling purposes; the MLB allows Fantasy Baseball but prohibits gambling on baseball. Ladbrokes believes that by allowing sports betting, the integrity of the games would be assured.