Regardless of where one might fall on this issue, I find it fascinating...

GAME Act introduced in House Energy and Commerce Committee

Quote:Rep. Frank Pallone, D-New Jersey, the ranking member on the Energy and Commerce Committee, is spearheading the legislation. After a yearlong review of federal gambling laws and the legal and illegal markets, Pallone said he found that illegal gambling is prevalent in the U.S. and believes the laws need to be updated to maintain relevance and keep up with modern gambling.

"Despite the federal gaming laws in place today, Americans are betting up to $400 billion a year on sporting events alone," Pallone said in a statement announcing the legislation. "It's time to recognize that the laws are outdated, and the GAME Act will modernize them by increasing transparency, integrity, and consumer protections."

They obviously don't broach the topic of realignment in the article, but I can't help but think one affects the other. If sports gambling is widely legalized and it looks like it will be at some point then it stands to reason that media entities will be even more interested in featuring games that attract wide audiences. The wider the audience, the more the networks stand to make off of high profile match-ups over others.

In fact, I could see media entities finding ways to cash in on gambling themselves. The wider the audience, the more bets are placed. The more bets are placed the more money flowing through the system. In other words, it should further fuel the desire to consolidate brands and create more quality match-ups.

Thoughts?

(05-25-2017 03:03 PM)AllTideUp Wrote:  Regardless of where one might fall on this issue, I find it fascinating...

GAME Act introduced in House Energy and Commerce Committee

Quote:Rep. Frank Pallone, D-New Jersey, the ranking member on the Energy and Commerce Committee, is spearheading the legislation. After a yearlong review of federal gambling laws and the legal and illegal markets, Pallone said he found that illegal gambling is prevalent in the U.S. and believes the laws need to be updated to maintain relevance and keep up with modern gambling.

"Despite the federal gaming laws in place today, Americans are betting up to $400 billion a year on sporting events alone," Pallone said in a statement announcing the legislation. "It's time to recognize that the laws are outdated, and the GAME Act will modernize them by increasing transparency, integrity, and consumer protections."

They obviously don't broach the topic of realignment in the article, but I can't help but think one affects the other. If sports gambling is widely legalized and it looks like it will be at some point then it stands to reason that media entities will be even more interested in featuring games that attract wide audiences. The wider the audience, the more the networks stand to make off of high profile match-ups over others.

In fact, I could see media entities finding ways to cash in on gambling themselves. The wider the audience, the more bets are placed. The more bets are placed the more money flowing through the system. In other words, it should further fuel the desire to consolidate brands and create more quality match-ups.

Thoughts?

That's the day I quit watching altogether. If you think there are fishy calls now wait until the betting line could determine whether the house makes 50 million on one game or loses. Officials are a cheap buy in comparison.