Two major US sports leagues sent their former stars to Connecticut to bargain for sports integrity fees as plans to legalize sports betting move forward in the state.
The Hartford Courant reported that National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB) deployed former Boston Celtics forward Cedric Maxwell and former Mets pitcher Al Leiter to Connecticut on Tuesday to convince lawmakers to consider the aspect of sports integrity in their sports betting measure.
Compared to other states, the leagues view the Connecticut legislature as well-ahead of the sports betting legislative curve.
“We think Connecticut has a real chance to pass a state-of-the-art statute here that could act as a model for other states,” MLB Senior Vice President Morgan Sword said, according to the news outlet. “We’ve been very impressed with the level of expertise that these guys have on this issue.”
Under the latest version of the state Senate’s sports betting bill, professional leagues would receive 0.25 percent of the total amounts wagered on their respective sports as a so-called integrity fee.
Maxwell and Leiter both agree with the state’s view to include the sports handout since it will (allegedly) help provide the technology and security enhancements to preserve the game’s integrity. They also concurred with lawmakers that proper regulations will make sports betting more effective.
“Assuming that the Supreme Court makes sports betting legal everywhere outside of Las Vegas, there’s going to be potential issues,” Leiter said, according to the news outlet. “I don’t know how it’s actually going to play out—whether brick and mortar [stores] or existing casinos or online. The more you broaden that, there’s got to be some regulation and some people watching to make sure that everything is done properly and maintain the integrity of the respective sport… There has to be some oversight.”
Like other states, Connecticut is rushing to pass a bill that will allow sports betting in the event the U.S. Supreme Court decides to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Professional Act of 1992.
Connecticut lawmakers hope to raise $40 to $80 million a year to replenish the state coffers.
