Houston Texans Owner Believes Legalized NFL Gambling Is Inevitable

The NFL may be fighting a battle they cannot win when it comes to gambling on their sport. That, at least, is the contention of one of the leagues owners, Houston's Robert McNair. he believes that legalized NFL betting is inevitable.

"There's always been a very high sense of duty to protect the integrity of the game," said McNair, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, "but I think society has softened its moral concerns about gambling, by virtue of the proliferation of it. The horse is out of the barn on that one."

There is growing concern among NFL executives about NFL gambling spreading throughout the US. The state of Delaware has now legalized sports betting, and the NFL is attempting to stop the state from making their own choices by filing a lawsuit.

The lawsuit will most likely be denied, according to several lawyers who have covered sports gambling. The NFL stands to lose much more than the lawsuit should it be denied.

New Jersey and Pennsylvania are keeping a close watch on what happens in Delaware. The likely scenario would have both states expanding their gambling laws to compete with Delaware, should the new sports betting laws prove to be profitable.

The entire country is moving towards toleration when it comes to gambling. Casino gambling has been legalized in most states, and casino expansion is among the most popular forms of generating revenue for many of those states.

Online gambling is also a hot topic around the country. Representative Barney Frank has introduced legislation that would legalize and regulate online gambling in the US.

Even the NFL itself has now allowed gambling to enter their business. Owners recently voted to allow teams to partner with state lotteries and create scratch off tickets with team logos on them. The teams are receiving a portion of the revenue generated from those tickets.

The NFL can try all they want to slow the train, but as McNair and other owners are realizing. Once the train leaves the station, it is hard to slow down.

June 16, 2009
Posted By Vincent Tapoglia III
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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