Pennsylvania Preparing for Legal Sports Betting

The legal sports betting landscape is changing. So much so that Pennsylvania is preparing a course of action should the current laws be repealed. The Gambling Oversight Committee passed legislation that would allow the state to accept sports bets if the law changes. The state wants to be prepared if the law changes.

“I believe we must be ready to act should the federal ban be lifted,” said Rep. Robert Matzie, D-16, Ambridge, the bill sponsor. The House floor is the next stop for the bill. The bill passed the committee by a 13-1 vote. The Pennsylvania legislature is trying to raise an additional $100 million in gambling taxes.

The state may have a familiar foe in NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who appeared on the Mike & Mike radio show Friday morning. The league isn’t changing its stance about betting he said. But he did say the league is aware of what’s going on and the will adapt as it needs to.

“But we think this is something; protecting that integrity of the game is critical,” he said.

So far Goodell is speaking the company line. But with the Raiders moving to Las Vegas and annual games in London, the league is hurting its position. Arguing that betting harms the integrity of the game and then playing where betting takes place makes no sense. Fans can make a bet on the way to Wembley Stadium quite easily, And it will be a similar story in Las Vegas unless the league tries to prevent bets from being accepted on the Raiders. That could lead to fewer people attending the games, as the ability to watch a bet unfold is the attraction for many people.

The league can argue against legalized sports betting all it wants. That’s not going to change a thing for the majority of sports bettors anyway.