Legal Online NFL Betting: What are the odds?
Aug 16th, 2010 by admin
Pretty good, actually – and sports betting might be coming to a state near you soon. The economic doldrums plaguing North America have forced both Canada and the USA to re-examine the possible benefits of online gambling, chief of which would be much needed additional tax revenues. So far, Canada is leading out of the gates, authorizing its first “fully legal” online casino site, with very generous $10,000 weekly betting limits. These days, most Canucks can’t afford tickets to a hockey game, let alone gamble $10 Large in one week. Suffice to say, perhaps it is the government that is quickly becoming addicted to gambling revenues.
Things in the “legalizing online gaming” pond in the USA have been stagnant since the passage of the UIGEA, but now there appears to be a new current in effect. Recently, Barney Frank D – Massachusetts and Chair of the House Banking Committee, announced that his online gambling bill successfully passed through his committee, with overwhelming bi-partisan support. Getting Democrats and Republicans together any anything is a feat in and of itself, and tacking on the fact that they approve of online gaming is a HUGE added bonus. Like Canada, the USA desperately needs tax revenues. Frank’s bill projects up to $42 Billion USD over the course of 10 years. If you err more on the optimistic side, this bill could easily bring $60+ Billion to the cash starved government.
Wait! Before you get your credit card out, remember, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done before this bill ever becomes law. On top of that, sports betting IS NOT included in this bill. Yes, once again, sports betting IS NOT included, and would still be considered illegal should this bill actually pass. Frank is hedging his bets, relying on the strong poker players’ lobby and relatively conservative casino business, which aren’t nearly as controversial as betting on the NFL or college football games.
Would legalized online sports betting ever come to pass? Well, that depends. One camp believes that if online casino, poker, and bingo games are legalized, sports betting will eventually pass by extension. After all, it’s only legal to place sports bets in Nevada, and legalized online sportsbooks would offer some much needed competition to this gaming monolith.
Another camp, however, believes that sports betting will never become legal, because of the strong lobbying forces for the NFL, NBA, and NCAA. These powerful professional sports lobbies, plus the NCAA, have bitterly contested any sort of legalized sports betting, be it online or offline. On top of that, although some lawmakers may approve of casino and poker games, they may not necessarily support sports betting. As a result, it’s likely offshore sports betting will continue into the foreseeable future, save if Frank’s bill gets a last ditch add-on from the online sportsbook community (not likely…).
Pitching odds for fully legal online NFL betting would be difficult, but the chances of it actually happening improve over time. Right now, the bedraggled USA government, mired in messy politics and a lagging economy, might consider anything that makes money. That said, they may not be prepared to challenge the NCAA or other professional sports groups that are explicitly against sports betting. If, however, Frank’s online gaming bill does pass and become law, effectively lifting UIGEA for casino, bingo, and poker; legal sports betting may not be that far off the radar.
For the time being, we recommend checking the laws in your jurisdiction carefully regarding the legality of online gambling before you place any sort of bet online. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and chances are, you’ll probably be able to do it without fear of law enforcement in the not-so-distant future anyhow.
Good Luck from Bet-on-the-NFL.com!