PGA Tour commissioner voices support for legalized gambling

As the Supreme Court readies itself for a vote on whether to overturn a federal ban on legalized sports betting, the PGA Tour has made it clear the side on which it stands.

Commissioner Jay Monahan voiced his clear support for legalized gambling this week, pointing to customer protection as one of the main reasons he's for the overturn.

"You have to keep in mind that betting is happening right now, with illegal black markets and offshore betting, and we don't have any exposure to what is happening," Monahan told Steve DiMeglio of USA Today Sports. "If it's legalized and regulation, you get to a point where you can better ensure the integrity of your competitions. You can provide adequate protection for customers, which doesn't exist today."

As commissioner, one of Monahan's prime responsibilities is to find new revenue areas for the players and tour. He insists legalized sports gambling would be beneficial to both parties and could potentially bring increased attention from previously untapped areas.

"There are commercial opportunities for us, which is one of the things we're here to do, which is to create and maximize playing and financial opportunities for our players," Monahan said. "And, we believe we'd reach a much broader audience."

The tour has spent a great deal of time investigating how legalized sports betting would work, meeting with various industry experts, as well as officials from the NBA and MLB. As is the case with the other leagues, the tour would want to collect an "integrity fee" on each bet, likely one percent of the handle from each individual betting operators.

The Supreme Court decision is expected before its July recess.