American Gaming Association President Geoff Freeman highlighted reasons gambling has a “bright future” in his annual state of the industry press conference Tuesday, before launching into his No. 1 speaking topic: legalizing sports gambling.
“The American attitude toward casino gaming has never been greater, and the mainstream nature of this industry has never been greater,” he began.
He gave a few examples – the final U.S. presidential debate will be in Las Vegas in three weeks, a National Hockey League franchise begins play next year, and the National Football League is talking about moving the Los Angeles Raiders here.
“Las Vegas has never been more mainstream than it has been today,” he said.
So, with gaming in 40 states, Freeman says “the big question is how do you take that and grow it, given that there’s limited opportunity for geographic expansion?”
“When it comes to growth we’re going to have to get more creative,” he said. “One way is to give them the products they want most, and there’s no better example of that than sports betting.”
To help allay fears legislators might have about gambling being an accelerant to game-fixing, Freeman was accompanied by two United Kingdom experts, who released their report “The Key to Sports Integrity in the United States: Legalized Regulated Sports Betting.”
The report detailed how the United States should adopt an approach similar to the United Kingdom to allow sports betting.
Freeman said he expects it will take three to five years to repeal PASPA and for the federal government to allow states to decide whether to offer legal sports gambling.
“When it comes to who is going to lead the charge in Capitol Hill, those discussions are ongoing,” he said. “But we will succeed in getting PASPA repealed.”
While the NBA and NFL have supported a movement to sports gambling because it creates more involved and passionate fans, the NCAA has been the most notable to hold back, he said.
“Other sports leagues have demonstrated a willingness to have a discussion,” Freeman said. “The NCAA has stayed steadfast in their opposition. It’s short-sighted and disappointing.”
One of the UK experts, Rick Parry, said, “They’re the one who should be leading the charge. The danger is when you have a large liquid market and lowly paid participants. The NCAA is the area of greatest vulnerability.”
David Forrest, the other expert, said, “The scale of betting on sports in America is as great as anywhere. It’s an adjunct to following sport. It makes it more exciting.” He added that surveys show that games hold their audience, even when the game has been decided, as long as the game is within the spread. Freeman said, “What you’re seeing is the tide quickly turning. I’ve never been more confident about the prospect of empowering states to allow sports betting if they so choose.”
