And they will. You won’t have to fly to Vegas to get a legal bet down on the Super Bowl, or take the Hogs and the points against Bama. It probably won’t happen in all 50 states, just as all 50 don’t have horse racing or the lottery or casinos, but since Arkansas already has two of those three, I won’t be surprised if it comes here fairly early in the process.
And it’s going to be really interesting to see how the NCAA handles it. Because they won’t be able to stop it, just as they haven’t stopped betting on college sports in Nevada already. My guess? They’ll put their fingers in their ears and pretend it’s not happening. Mark Emmert has said something about trying to get college sports exempted from legal betting. Fat chance of that.
The NBA and MLB seem to have the right idea – if it’s going to happen, let’s make sure it happens in a way that doesn’t threaten the integrity of their sport, and maybe get a cut of the profits along the way. It can be done. Several English soccer clubs have online casinos as their shirt sponsor, or offer in-stadium betting, or both, yet the integrity of the game has been maintained. Italy has had match-fixing scandals in soccer, but so has American college basketball (Kentucky got the death penalty in 1951 for involvement in a gambling scandal; unfortunately, their program recovered, only to encounter new sleazeballs named Pitino and Calipari).
Oh, by the way, it will be possible for fans of the Las Vegas Raiders to place bets via phone from inside the stadium at home games. And fans at the London NFL games for the last few years have been able to bet by phone from the stadium.
It is about time the highest court recognizes the changing times.
Regarding all 50 states not following the guideline, I never understand why laws are not commonly administered across all states. Starting with this red state/blue state crap, it seems there is very little that is united about United States.
Without getting too far astray of the original topic, clearly Wyoming and Arkansas are very different from California or New York and have different needs from their government. But then again, upstate NY might as well be on a different planet compared to NYC. It’s still crazy that laws vary so wildly from state to state though.
It appears that our neighbors to the southeast (you know, the ones we thank God for) may be an early adopter of sports betting. The Mississippi Gaming Commission has been authorized to regulate sports betting already.
Asa Hutchinson said today he is reviewing the ruling and will also look to see what other states do. Meaning if we start seeing a flood of Arkies going to Tunica, Lula and Greenville to bet on football, we might decide we need to get into the game. You can bet if there is legal sports betting in Arkansas, it will happen first at Oaklawn and Southland.
I’m wondering, also, if the Indian casinos in Oklahoma might decide the state can’t really stop them from opening their own sports books (the old “sovereign nation” thing).
The Supreme Court should not change or write new laws! A good example is the marriage issue!
United in this country on what? Nothing from placing a bet, putting 2 women on a birth certificate of a child! Allowing a riot and calling it a protest. (Dreamers) Illegal immigrants here that protest! What right do they really have they are here illegally and should be sent to back where they came with the other folks in their family that are here! There’s a lot of moral courage our whole country has lost on a host of issues. The Supreme Court is part of the problem. That includes the states highest court in Arkansas.
Each State has the right to allow legal wagering or not! This sure isn’t the hot button issue I’d call a landmark ruling!
I know we aren’t suppose to talk about politics on this board but I vented anyway!
(I’m going to regret this, but…)
The entire purpose that the Supreme Court serves is to determine whether laws are constitutional or unconstitutional. It doesn’t handle appeals of murder sentences. It handles questions of law, and has ever since Marbury v Madison in 1803. Meaning they’ve been doing this for 33 years longer than Arkansas has been a state.
But then at the end of your post you end up agreeing with them – that in the absence of federal regulation of the matter, states have the right to do what they want. Congress could make today’s ruling moot by adopting a federal framework regulating sports betting, but the law that was struck down today was deemed to have been an unconstitutional attempt to do that.
You shouldn’t regret anything Swine! That’s your opinion. My opinion is simple.
It take a man and a woman to make a child! Nothing can change that!
I will live by God’s law!
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of same sex marriage and changed an existing law and force fed it down the throats of the entire country. I’d say that’s overstepping their legal position or authority!