Ever wonder (?) what makes grown men dress up in a costume, go to a football stadium and cheer like a frat boy for a bunch of NFL players who don't give a rats ass about him or the city they represent.
I also wonder how the new and expanding sports wagering phenomenon has so far escaped disaster. The legal sports wagering business once belonged almost exclusively to Nevada. With the repeal of the Paspa Act and subsequent blessings of the Federal Government our bookmaking business has expanded Nationally at warp speed with no end in sight. In one short season Nevada has been eclipsed in total handle but Nevada still has the more stable revenue stream. That's as it should be with over eighty years of experience in the business behind them. Nevada sports bookmaking is rock solid but is now co mingled with less than rock solid layers and players. The new norm is a hodgepodge of some State sanctioned rookie outfits, both on the bookmaking and data sides, wide tax tables between different States including some that will prove unsustainable without drastically changing their odds and payouts. Some of the smarter states have partnered up with Nevada conglomerates and are in the hands of Nevada decision makers. That's a problem for Nevada to be discussed another time i.e. making numbers to deal to both East Coast and Western biases. Never the less, if partnered with Nevada, this new found handle is dumped into Nevada conglomerates bottom lines. On top of those numbers we have Indian Casinos that are eager to join if not already in the mix. Dozens of casinos, big and small, around the already operating states are dropping their combined handles creating a mammoth and fast growing total of all the bookmaking establishments. We're talking billions.
Those billions are very real dollars, all cash, no credit or trick bottom lines. The once righteous and above it all, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL are looking to cash in on this new found gravy train (gravy train their opinion not mine).
I began this rant with the words "I also wonder". What I wonder is how long it will take for some Romanians, Russians, Iranians, North Koreans or home grown, domestic Americans to hack into this sitting duck. Super secret, highly protected Gov't computers have been compromised seemingly with not much resistance. How hard would it be to get into one or all of these bulging bankrolls? Has it already been done? One big score or a steady skim. There are several ways to do this.
One thing will never change however, your man with his phone & pencil won't be bothered by the Russians. The Feds will harass him, but he'll be right back in business dealing on the cuff even.
I also wonder how the new and expanding sports wagering phenomenon has so far escaped disaster. The legal sports wagering business once belonged almost exclusively to Nevada. With the repeal of the Paspa Act and subsequent blessings of the Federal Government our bookmaking business has expanded Nationally at warp speed with no end in sight. In one short season Nevada has been eclipsed in total handle but Nevada still has the more stable revenue stream. That's as it should be with over eighty years of experience in the business behind them. Nevada sports bookmaking is rock solid but is now co mingled with less than rock solid layers and players. The new norm is a hodgepodge of some State sanctioned rookie outfits, both on the bookmaking and data sides, wide tax tables between different States including some that will prove unsustainable without drastically changing their odds and payouts. Some of the smarter states have partnered up with Nevada conglomerates and are in the hands of Nevada decision makers. That's a problem for Nevada to be discussed another time i.e. making numbers to deal to both East Coast and Western biases. Never the less, if partnered with Nevada, this new found handle is dumped into Nevada conglomerates bottom lines. On top of those numbers we have Indian Casinos that are eager to join if not already in the mix. Dozens of casinos, big and small, around the already operating states are dropping their combined handles creating a mammoth and fast growing total of all the bookmaking establishments. We're talking billions.
Those billions are very real dollars, all cash, no credit or trick bottom lines. The once righteous and above it all, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL are looking to cash in on this new found gravy train (gravy train their opinion not mine).
I began this rant with the words "I also wonder". What I wonder is how long it will take for some Romanians, Russians, Iranians, North Koreans or home grown, domestic Americans to hack into this sitting duck. Super secret, highly protected Gov't computers have been compromised seemingly with not much resistance. How hard would it be to get into one or all of these bulging bankrolls? Has it already been done? One big score or a steady skim. There are several ways to do this.
One thing will never change however, your man with his phone & pencil won't be bothered by the Russians. The Feds will harass him, but he'll be right back in business dealing on the cuff even.