As most of you have heard, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act violated the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
In a Forbes.com article by Marc Edelman, it’s simply explained like this,
1.In plain English, what did the Supreme Court actually decide on Monday?
The Supreme Court specifically ruled that one particular federal gambling statute – the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act – violated the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (often known as the commandeering clause) because it illegally empowered the federal government to order certain states to take specific actions to disallow sports gambling. As a result, that statute is no longer enforceable against states, businesses or individuals.
2. Does this mean sports gambling is now legal throughout the United States?
No. The court ruling does not, in itself, change the legality of sports betting anywhere. However, the individual states are now free to pass statutes that would legalize sports gambling within their borders.
So, as long as Kentucky decides to legalize sports betting within it’s borders, there remains the possibility of sports betting being allowed inside venues while the competition is ongoing. My hope is that the state allows sports betting inside the YUM! Center.
It would be glorious. Could you imagine going to a Louisville vs. Virginia Tech basketball game and at halftime walking up to the concession stand and saying, ” I’ll take a hot dog, Large Miller Lite and $50 at 2-1 odds that the color of Buzz Williams shirt to start the second half will be white. Or maybe you prefer, 2 beers and $20 on the over of Ryan McMahon hitting 2.5 3 pointers in the second half.
I’m not exactly sure it would work like that but could you image?
There are so many possibilities and it’s a win-win for both the fans and the state. It takes the fan experience to a whole new level and it could provide money to the underfunded state budget. It could also help the YUM! Center generate more revenue to help its financial situation.
I know it will probably never happen but this guy right here is happy that it’s even a possibility – even if the possibility of Lloyd Christmas ending up with Mary Swanson is greater.
I know sports betting isn’t everybody’s cup of tea but for those of you who enjoy it, or are even intrigued by it, this could be the start of something great. It could change the whole live sport experience.
The good news is that over 100 other countries already allow this type of sports betting so our state leaders can study those models and make adjustments to fit the American games.
My only hope is that greed doesn’t ruin this for me. I’m sure everyone will want a piece of the pie and hopefully the grown adults in charge can find a fair way to divide the profits to best benefit our state and the fans. If so, it could be glorious!
As Always, GO CARDS!
