Some Nevadans laughed when liberal state Sen. Richard “Tick” Segerblom began promoting the possibility of legalizing marijuana use for medicinal and even recreational purposes. Others were less kind.
A few even considered his idea bad for the state’s reputation, whatever that means. The Las Vegas Democrat heard the catcalls and condemnation but wasn’t deterred.
Segerblom continued to lead the charge at the Legislature and in the court of public opinion, and gradually had a growing army of followers from all levels of society. From common users to physicians to business entrepreneurs, people realized that pot’s notoriety was overrated.
While there are still some obstacles and unanswered questions, these days Nevada’s legal marijuana industry is booming these days. Segerblom, who recently won a primary election for a seat the Clark County Commission, was ahead of his time.
It wasn’t the only time.
He’s also the Nevada legislator who starting in 2013 repeatedly attempted to introduce a bill that would make it legal to bet on political races at Nevada’s sports books.
Opposition to his efforts was consistent. Interestingly enough, the arguments against him sounded a lot like those used to criticize his push to legalize marijuana.
Legalizing political bets would be bad for Nevada’s reputation, whatever that means. It would lead to campaign fixing and shenanigans. Eventually, despite the endorsement of the behemoth bookmaker William Hill US, the legislation failed to take off.
But I think Segerblom was ahead of his time on that issue, too.
When the U.S. Supreme Court voted to repeal the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act earlier in May, it opened the door to the legalization of sports betting in all 50 states. Nevada’s monopoly on legal single-game wagering was over. Since the court’s decision, state legislatures have been voting to legalize. Delaware and New Jersey have already begun accepting bets.
So now that the coast is clear, Nevada, the time has come for a savvy legislator to pick up where Segerblom left off and push for the legalization of wagering on political races. It won’t come in time for the mid-term elections – Nevada’s next legislative session doesn’t commence next year, but the 2020 presidential race could be put on the big board next to the odds on the horse races, boxing matches, and ballgames.
“It’s ready going on in England and offshore,” Segerblom says, adding that his idea was to give Nevada’s sports book industry an added dimension that would not only be profitable but also would draw attention to the state.
“We always want to be the place where the line is set,” he says. “If you want to know the odds, call Las Vegas. The idea was to give us more attention. It seemed to me like a no-brainer. Of course, some people thought it would be bad for our reputation.”
For the record, Nevada is poised to send a pimp from one of the state’s legal brothels to the state Legislature. It’s hard to imagine what might actually be bad for the Silver State’s reputation.
For his part, Segerblom was greatly impressed by longtime Las Vegas sports book boss Jimmy Vaccaro and William Hill US CEO Joe Asher, whose British company regularly sets lines and accepts wagers on elections. Testimony included a live feed to the Legislature illustrating how easy and uncontroversial accepting such wagers would be. Segerblom and Vaccaro appeared together on CBS morning news.
In the end, the bill failed to gain traction with the risk-averse state Legislature.
Americans have been betting on politics a long time. During the 1916 presidential election, a reported $160 million was bet by New York City’s business and banking class in the “curb exchange” market, considered a forerunner to the modern stock exchange. “Until the 1920s, New York would have been the center of gambling in the United States, what Las Vegas is today,” said professor of economic history Paul Rhode told The Washington Post in a 2014 interview.
As Segerblom notes, “As an issue, it’s a lot like marijuana. Legalization would be good for the state and give people one more reason to think about Nevada.”
And with sports betting becoming legal outside the state that once held a monopoly, “It really makes sense now that there’s competition. When you think about marijuana, I want people to think of Las Vegas first. When you think of betting on elections, think of Las Vegas first.”
In the current atmosphere of rapid sports betting legalization outside Nevada, this should be an easy call to make.
Contact John L. Smith at jlnevadasmith@gmail.com. On Twitter: @jlnevadasmith.
