Krasnay 1

Dylan Krasnay
Mrs. DeBock
English IV
March 3, 2016

Should Sports Gambling be Legalized

Sports is a major part of American culture today and touches millions of lives across the
nation. One of the many activities people associate with sports is wagering on the outcome of
certain events. The topic of sports gambling and whether or not people should be allowed to
gamble on sporting events is very controversial in the United States today. Sports gambling
should be legalized because it would benefit the U.S. economy, many states are already leading
the charge into legalizing sports gambling, and the integrity of the game and the casual fans
experience would be improved rather than tarnished.
Gambling on sports games is not illegal all across the country. Las Vegas sports books
often take legal wagers on sporting events that range from NFL games to NCAAW golf. The
bets placed here are legal because sports gambling has been legalized in the state of Nevada.
Sports books in Nevada take in around 3 million in sports wagers per year. Most of the money is
given to those who placed wagers and won. Around 5% of the money is actually turned into
revenue for the casinos (vegas.com). The state government is able to take taxes out of the money
the casino earned from the sports gambling because it is legally considered revenue. Politicians
should promote the legalization of sports gambling because sports is just a business. Legalized
gambling on sports should be viewed as just another taxation method that brings money into the
government's hands (Weiner). Legalized sports gambling would allow for every state to have
more revenue for their state budget because they could tax income gained for sports gambling.

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Many states are struggling to find another source of income to help their respective states
economy. New Jersey legislatures believe that New Jersey and its citizens, "would benefit
significantly from lifting the federal ban and legalizing sports betting in this state, as increased
revenues would be generated and numerous jobs would be created for New Jersey residents as a
result of sports betting activities at Atlantic City casinos and New Jersey's racetracks, further
enhancing tourism and economic growth (Grassi). Many experts believe that legalizing sports
gambling will be very beneficial to the economy. Sports gambling would not only provide tax
revenue, but it would also help create jobs in the economy as well. The federal law that prohibits
sports gambling is an unconstitutional law. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act
of 1992 violates the 10th and 14th amendments of the United States constitution. The law sets a
very selective ban on sports gambling, which is unconstitutional since the issue of gambling is
reserved to state governments (Grassi). The decision on whether or not sports gambling should
be legal should be left to the state legislatures, rather than the federal government. Another
outdated law is also used to ban sports gambling in the United States. The Interstate Wire Act,
which was passed in 1961, is a federal law that bans the placing of bets or wagers on sporting
events over the phone. However, technology and sports gambling have evolved since that time
(Grassi). The law is no longer valid since sports bets and wagers would now be placed over
internet rather than telephone. The validity of the Interstate Wire Act has been voided, and
should no longer be enforced.
New Jersey is not the only state that is pushing for its legislature to legalize sports
gambling. Many other states including Iowa, Delaware, and California and others are pushing
for legalized gambling in their states as well. Delaware has won the right to offer a 3-game
parlay style gaming at its racetracks and casinos, but only for NFL games (Grassi). They

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however, do not have the right to allow wagers on other professional sports events or amatuer
games such as the NCAA. Iowa senators such as Jack Kibbie are voicing their opinion
supporting the legalization of sports gambling, and have begun to create legislation that would
allow for sports gambling. (Grassi). Although nothing has officially taken place in Iowa to
legalize sports gambling, the pieces are being set in motion by state legislators. California has
plans for introducing a legalized online gaming network that would include poker, roulette, and
other games. They hope that by legalizing this online gaming network that it would eventually
help get over the hump of The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (Grassi).
The efforts of each of these states are helping to support their ultimate goal of nationwide
legalized sports gambling.
One of the controversies surrounding sports gambling is whether or not it would hurt the
integrity of the game and heavily alter a casual sports fans experience. In a recent statement, the
athletic director of Pitt University said that Legalizing sports wagering puts our student-athletes
directly in harm's way It has the potential to damage the integrity of sports competition and
negatively impact the welfare of our student-athletes (Harris). The athletic director of Pitt
university is not the only one who feels this way. High ranking officials in the NCAA, NFL,
MLB, and NBA have all said that the legalization of sports gambling would create problems with
the integrity of the game, and they fear their would be corruption amongst gamblers and athletes.
However, many experts believe that legalizing sports gambling would actually help the NCAA
spot irregularities that occur during games. David Ripdath, an associate professor at the Ohio
State University believes that the NCAA would be able to pinpoint corrupt gamblers and point
shaving schemes if sports gambling was legalized and regulated (Harris). The legalization of

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sports gambling would actually help to improve the integrity of the game, rather than tarnish it or
destroy its principles.
Another argument against the legalization of sports gambling is how would legalized
sports gambling affect the average sports fans experience. There was a research study
conducted by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas that studied the impact of legalized sports
gambling on the average fans experience and interest in the sport. The fans were given a
questionnaire which assessed this area. The data revealed that the impact on the fans experience
were small and generally positive, and that their was a moderate increase in the interest in the
sport (Wann). The study shows that legalized sports gambling would actually improve a fans
experience, rather than disrupt it or affect it in a negative way.
Sports gambling should be legalized because it would benefit the U.S. economy, many
states are already leading the charge into legalizing sports gambling, and the integrity of the
game and the fans experience would be improved rather than tarnished.Millions of fans watch
sports every year for the enjoyment and excitement the events create. Another activity that gives
people excitement and joy is making money. Sports gambling simply just combines the two
activities into one, giving people the ability to make money of off the sports they love.

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Works Cited
Grassi, Diane M. "States Rush to Legalize Sports Betting and Expand Gambling for Revenue."
Gambling. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing
Viewpoints. Rpt. from "States Rush to Legalize Sports Betting & Expand Gambling for
Revenue." Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Feb. 2016
Harris, John "Could NCAA benefit from legalizing sports gambling?" Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review [Pittsburgh,
PA] 28 June 2015. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

Huang, Jiun-Hau, et al. "A National Study On Gambling Among US College Student-Athletes."
Journal Of American College Health 56.2 (2007): 93. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 17
Feb. 2016
VEGAS.com https://www.vegas.com/gaming/sportsline/
Wann, Daniel L. "An Examination Of Sport Fans' Perceptions Of The Impact Of The
Legalization Of Sport Wagering On Their Fan Experience." UNLV Gaming Research &
Review Journal 19.2 (2015): 21-40. Business Source Premier. Web. 16 Feb. 2016

Weiner, Evan. "Sports Betting Should Be Legal." Gambling. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit:
Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Time to Allow Sports
Gambling in Atlantic City." NewJerseyNewsRoom.com. 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in
Context. Web. 11 Feb. 2016.

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Winston, Wayne L. Mathletics: How Gamblers, Managers, and Sports Enthusiasts Use
Mathematics in Baseball, Basketball, and Football. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2009. Print.