Silver: NBA 'will ultimately participate' in legalized sports betting
NBA commissioner Adam Silver made a couple of notable revelations at the Bloomberg Sports Business Summit in New York on Thursday. Among them was the admission the league plans to take part in legalized sports betting if and when it's legalized outside Nevada.
“It’s inevitable that, if all these [other] states are broke, that there will be legalized sports betting in more states than Nevada and we will ultimately participate in that,” Silver said.
The NBA opposed a plan to legalize sports gambling in New Jersey and a judge threw out the case in March, but Silver said he wouldn't have any issues if legalized sports betting became legal beyond Las Vegas and spread across the United States.
He understands there's a profit to be made and doesn't consider it morally wrong.
“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. 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.”
[H/T Pro Basketball Talk]