Hatch and Kyl In a Snit About Sports Betting
The NJ reports this AM about the efforts of Senators Hatch and Kyl to stop sports betting in Delaware. Gov. Markell’s office speculates that these two are stalking horses for the NFL who are really having issues with this betting idea.
In a letter sent to Attorney General Holder, these two want the AG to tell Delaware to stick to parlay bets only and they also want the AG to vigorously defend against the NJ lawsuit to expand sports betting.
I’m not a partisan on this sports betting thing, but it does seem to me that Hatch and Kyl are driving way outside of their lanes here. Sports betting already exists in the places where it is legal and they can’t point to a deterioration of any sporting events there as evidence of their pretty wild claim of
Sports betting in Delaware “threatens the integrity of the pastimes our citizens enjoy and the nature of the games they follow,” wrote Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah and Jon Kyl of Arizona in a letter. “Indeed, the expansion of state-sponsored betting will promote gambling throughout our culture, particularly among young people.”
When, of course, sports betting is pretty prevalent already on a casual or illegal basis — the effort by Delaware (or any state for that matter) is about capturing some of that pie for themselves. Much like the way that states eclipsed the illegal numbers game by ramping up state-sponsored lotteries.
These two could step up to some real leadership if they were to actually make the point that governments are playing a fools game by relying on gambling for a serious revenue stream. But just armoring up to do the NFL’s business (who are just pissed they don’t get a cut) is just as much of a fool’s game.
Tags: sports betting
I wonder if this their proximity to Nevada has anything to do with their interest.
Yeah…when they raise a tiff over the integrity of professional sports via gambling concerns but do rat’s-ass nothing over any other aspect of those professions (don’t for a minute think those hearings on steroids had anything other than theater on them), I take them as serious as a far-right wingnut does environmental issues.
I call serious BS on their integrity to raising this issue.
If sports gambling is legal in one state, isn’t the purity of the sport already compromised? Isn’t this an argument for relative virginity?
There those republicans go again… states rights! what a bunch of cowardly hypocrites. Ststes rights are just a convenient excuse to argue policy and the only argument is one of convenience as long as it falls in line with neocon policy wishes, not the constitution. So when states implement tougher environmental standards, neo cons argue you can’t do that. When the democrats passed the landmark 1964 civil rights act, the neocona argued STATES RIGHTS. Too effing funny. The bottom line is when states implement policy the neocons disagree with, the neocon argument relative to states rights changes. As usual, these losers want it both ways. You would think the republcians would be championing Delaware’s right to implement its policy decisions without interference from the giant federal government, right DA? LOL.
Since the republicrazzies cannot control the DC government anymore, they’re trying to impose their will on other states where they don’t live. They need to STFU and take care of the needs of their constituents. Hatch & Kyl = Dumb and Dumber.
The hypocrisy on states’ rights is an excellent point. Especially since neither of these guys have stood up to object to the expansion of other gambling opportunities across the US.
And with everything that is going on in the world, it seems particularly clueless to look to spend money to actually take the State of Delaware to court over this business.