David Stern is a former NBA Commissioner, and has recently done a turn about regarding his position on sports betting in the US. Previously a strong opponent to legalized sports betting, Stern recently shared in an interview that during the last few years he served in his role as Commissioner, his views on the matter evolved in such a way that it resulted in a change of heart when it comes to legal sports betting. He indicated that the NBA league has also grown more progressive in its views and pointed to various partnerships and sponsorships with daily fantasy betting brands as evidence. He definitely gave the impression that certain members of the league is beginning to see legal basketball betting in a more favorable light.
Those members of the NBA league that are in opposition to permitting legal sports betting activity in the US claim that their position is driven from genuine concern for perceived vulnerabilities that sports betting would integrate into the integrity of their games. Professional and college sports leagues have had their own bought with gambling related scandals, including the NBA. The early incidents date back to the 1919 Black Sox scandal, with the more recent gambling related scandal occurring in 2007 when an NBA referee admitted to placing wagers on sports games, including those over which he officiated. Stern was the NBA Commissioner at the time this took place.
Since then, Stern's views of sports gambling have softened. His successor to the NBA Commissioner role, Adam Silver, is a very open and outspoken supporter of legal sports betting that is closely regulated by the federal government. In fact, fiercely advocating for the legalization of sports betting is a priority to Silver, who assumed his NBA position in February of 2014. Stern has expressed support for Silver's efforts and indicated that he agreed with him in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated.
In a New York Times article written by Silver, he calls for reformation of the sports betting industry through a federal regulatory framework that provides direction for states to permit legal sports betting on professional sports. This could expand to include legal online sports betting as well. He adds that this should include strict regulatory requirements and oversight as well as strong technological safeguards to reduce the possibility of unethical practices related to gambling such as point shaving and game-fixing. Silver is openly advocating for these types of legislative changes while the NBA is officially opposing the state of New Jersey's efforts to provide legally sanctioned sports betting options to their residents and visitors. While they may have evolved slightly towards daily fantasy betting, it would seem that their transformation is anything but supportive of legal sports betting as of late.
Silver openly admits that any new strategy by the federal government to permit and regulate sports betting must have elements in place that protect the integrity of the games. He also points out that sports betting is wide spread as an underground industry that is estimated to have revenue figures up to $400 billion or more. Silver wants to bring sports betting from an underground structure into the mainstream market where it can be regulated and monitored.
Sources: New York Times
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