As I do every day, I just checked and there is still no word on when the U.S. Supreme Court will publish its decision on the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) repeal. The repeal of the most highly contested sports gambling legislation is expected by virtually everyone, but it’s not a guarantee. At least 12 states are paying someone to stand by a switch, ready to flip it if the courts give the green light for them to start offering sports gambling. Maybe the courts could do like they do in Rome, and use white smoke or black smoke.
The states aren’t the only ones who want to pick up a piece of the action. Several sports leagues—most notably the MLB and the NBA—have previously said that they wanted a portion of every wager before they took a step back into the locker rooms and formulated new game plans. Now the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) has said that it would support legalized sports gambling. While it didn’t specifically say that it would automatically expect a cut, comments made by the PGA Tour head certainly could make someone reach that conclusion.
Jay Monahan, commissioner for the PGA Tour, said what should be, but apparently isn’t, obvious to everyone: Sports betting is already going on illegally, so regulating the industry would “better ensure the integrity of your competitions.” He added that there could potentially be some commercial opportunities, and that legalization would help the tour reach a wider audience. Without using the exact words, he alluded to the fact that the tour could demand a percentage fee from gambling operators.
Monahan has been with the PGA since 2008. He was the executive director of The Players Championship until 2010 when he was named the Tour’s senior vice president for business development. After three years, he was promoted to executive vice president and chief marketing officer. He then served as deputy commission before being bumped up to chief operating officer. He took over as the commissioner at the beginning of 2017 when the previous commissioner, Tim Finchem, resigned.
