Over the years, sports gambling has become increasingly more popular; some might say a national phenomenon. It has rapidly become a prevalent activity for all people above the age of 18 (I hope) to enjoy. Whether it’s hitting the over on a west coast NBA game on late Tuesday night or the thrill of covering the spread on a meaningless touchdown during an NFL playoff game, all gamblers can agree that what consistently drives them back to gambling is the natural release of serotonin after winning a bet. What makes winning a bet so much sweeter is when you feel the soul-crushing defeat of when your team fails to cover a spread or collapses in the second half, the miserable defeat makes the sweet victory taste like nectar.
Sports gambling is not only beneficial for the local casino on a Native American reservation or the lucky client who cashes in bug on a bet, but it also helps create jobs and money for local/state governments. The money comes from tax revenues than the billions; it’s a money making machine. In December of 2018 alone, Nevada generated $44 million in tax revenue just from gambling, that’s unbelievable when you consider how many people gamble through local bookies.
Recently, in 2018, sports betting has become legalized in more states than just Nevada, which means we are getting closer and closer to having it authorized as federal law. In effect, gambling would become more popular; the government and sport(s) connected with gambling through casino partnerships would make a fortune.
Last October, we saw that the NHL partnered up with MGM Casino for data sharing purposes. Subsequently, the NFL, MLB, NBA, and recently the MLS, have all become partners of MGM Casino. MGM Casino uses the data they receive from sports leagues to provide its customers with unique insight into the games while improving fan engagement and interaction.
The leagues are making a ton of money from the partnerships alone, look at these insane deals worth millions of data, only to share data with the casino:
RIDICULOUS.
The thing is, September-June, is when sports gambling is at its highest. You have NBA Playoffs, NHL Playoffs, Super Bowl, World Series, Bowl SZN, and other high profile gambling events.
Meanwhile, in the summertime, high stake gamblers often rely on daytime baseball games to get them through work, nighttime baseball games to keep them occupied instead of helping out around the house with laundry, kids, and other chores.
Sure, there’s also UFC, which in its own right is becoming a national phenomenon and produces thousands of betting slips for their fights.
But, you know what’s missing right now? A fast-paced sport that gamblers can rely on that will captivate their attention, will take less time to watch compared to a baseball game, and will be available on the weekend to watch, almost like football.
That’s why I believe the Premier Lacrosse League should embrace gambling; it will help them attract an entire audience of gamblers that will tune into their games on NBC Sports and NBC. Gamblers will love the close games, the spread lines, the pace of the game, and the time length, which usually takes less than 2 hours.
The biggest problem with gambling on baseball is that it takes too long, it’s slow, which often leads to people not watching the game. If the PLL incorporates gambling into the league just as we have seen with the NHL, NBA, MLB, and MLS do, I believe it will help them grow as well as help casinos generate more betting slips during the summertime.
That’s my two-cents, what do you guys think?
Let me know on Twitter:
Cheers ladies and gents.
No Comments