Very briefly, we just want to say that our new favorite headline is “Sumo scandal grows wider.” Works on so many levels.
It appears the draft of Spain’s new gaming laws is a hit with everyone except those who have bothered to read it. The latest to express their dismay with the Spanish government’s scheme is the country’s pro football league (LFP). The league noted that the draft law failed to address whether the sport would continue to receive a chunk of lottery revenues, as it does under the existing scheme. The LFP also wants a chunk of the revenues generated by betting operators who take wagers on their sport. If the the league doesn’t get the answers it seeks, LFP secretary general Carlos del Campo says it has ways of making Spain’s government take notice. “If there is no agreement, a [work] stoppage is a possibility and at the moment nothing is ruled out.”
In Australia, sports betting is under fire due to the recent arrest of Canterbury Bulldogs rugby player Ryan Tandy. On Wednesday, Tandy was charged with providing false evidence to police investigating suspicious betting activity on a National Rugby League match last year. Despite this kerfuffle, it seems NRL teams can’t embrace gambling firms quickly enough. Penrith recently signed a stadium naming rights deal with Centrebet and Russell Crowe’s South Sydney club signed a shirt sponsorship deal with Star City Casino. Now the Melbourne Storm (for whom Tandy played until midway through last season) have signed a similar shirt deal with Crown Casino. Club manager Dennis Watt defended the deal, saying: “I don’t see a conflict for the relationship the Storm have sought here.”
Finally, Lil Wayne has ‘come out’ as a Cheesehead. The recently released from prison rapper recently released Green And Yellow, a love song for the Green Bay Packers. Despite Weezy stating up front that his ditty “ain’t a dis song”, the track is based on Wiz Khalifa’s Black And Yellow, which celebrated the Pittsburgh Steelers. Oh, no you di’nt… It’s on now, baby…
