MLB Commish: Reconsidering Stance on Sports Betting
With Donald Trump now in the White House, there is renewed interest in getting sports betting legalized. This includes amongst the major sports leagues like Major League Baseball.
At the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit in New York, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed that he is monitoring the situation closely.
“There is this buzz out there in terms of people feeling that there may be an opportunity here for additional legalized sports betting,” Manfred said. “We are reexamining our stance on gambling. It’s a conversation that’s ongoing with the owners.”
In a radio interview Super Bowl Sunday, the newly elected US President said he was open to discussing the idea of legalizing sports wagering with the various sports leagues and gaming commissions.
President Trump told Jim Gray of Westwood One Sports: “Well, what I’d do is I’d sit down with the commissioners. I would be talking to them, and we’ll see how they feel about it. Some would not want it, and probably others -- and I’ve read others maybe do. But I would certainly want to get their input and get the input from the various leagues, and we’ll see how they feel about it. I’d also get the input from lots of law enforcement officials, because, obviously, that’s a big step.
“So we wouldn’t do it lightly, I can tell you. It will be studied very carefully. But I would want to have a lot of input from a lot of different people.”
Watch the MLB Commissioner talk the potential of legalized sports betting below.
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- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
