DAVID STERN OPEN TO THE POSSIBILITY OF NBA BETTING - Author: KatA 

In a complete about face from his predecessors, NBA commissioner David Stern says that sports betting may one day get a green light from the league. When pressed he doesn’t give a firm yes or no on whether or not he supports the idea, but he certainly doesn’t shoot it down by any means. He says that legalized NBA sports betting is a “possibility” that “may be a huge opportunity” for the league. He’s careful not to lend too much support to the idea but he makes it clear that the NBA, while still officially opposed to sports betting may be open to the idea in the future. The fact that the NBA is changing their tune comes as no surprise to many gaming insiders. When they held the NBA All-Star weekend in Las Vegas in 2007, people began to speculate that it was only a matter of time before a franchise popped up in a gambling capital. A sports team based in Las Vegas would have been considered completely taboo in the past but now it’s beginning to look like an actual possibility. One-by-one each argument against legalized sports betting is being struck down by not only gaming enthusiasts but by many in the sports world as well. Many people feel certain that if sports betting were legalized and regulated the risk of thrown games would be much lower. It would cut back on customer risk and keep the games less affected by sports betting than they currently are. After the Tim Donaghy scandal (Donaghy being the NBA ref who was found to have been fixing games) people are more aware than ever how close sports betting already is to their lives. Even those who aren’t interested in participating are starting to argue that regulation is the only sure way to keep it from interfering with game outcomes. Even if nothing changes under Stern’s leadership it seems that it will only be a matter of time before legal NBA wagering is just a part of life. And we can finally all stop arguing about it.