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| Capital One Arena/YT grab |
Slowly, but surely, what we valued growing up is being torn asunder. Remember when we told how bad it was to bet on sports? It’s been 100 years since the Chicago White Sox threw the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. College basketball was rife with betting scandals. The late Curt Gowdy talked about it, when the Hall of Fame broadcaster gave me an interview nearly a quarter of a century ago. Now comes word a betting parlor will open in The Capital One Arena, home of the Wizards and Capitals. Action on NBA and NHL games will be taken.
All of this is the result of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that broke the shackles on sports betting. Now revenue-strapped states are tripping over each other to legalize sports betting on any event. And the major sports: baseball, football, basketball and hockey are all making deals with betting entities like MGM to get their cut of the action. The billions they currently make aren’t enough.
The day will come – New York and Illinois are already talking about it – when parlors will be opened within big league ballparks. Not only will you be able to bet on a game’s outcome, but whether Aaron Judge hits a home run or strikes out in his next at bat.
In the Washington arena, there is some trepidation over whether the parlor will remain open, when Georgetown is playing a college basketball game. What do you think?
What’s at stake? Only the integrity of the games. Mark my words, as my dad used to say. We are heading down a slippery slope. Bet on it.
