Adam Silver stands by his decision to support sports betting despite challenges

In 2014, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wrote an op-ed in the New York Times to discuss his support for the regulation and legalization of sports betting. His piece was titled “Legalize and Regulate Sports Betting.” Adam Silver explained how the country had a growing appetite for sports betting 10 years ago. Additionally, Silver wanted to have industry regulations to help stop the massive amounts of illegal wagers being placed. 

Four years after Adam Silver wrote his piece, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on sports betting. Thirty-eight states in the U.S. including Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico have some form of sports wagering available to them. According to the American Gaming Association, sportsbook revenue in 2023 was $10.9 billion, a 44.5% year-over-year increase. 

During the 2023-24 NBA season, former Raptors two-way player Jontay Porter was involved in a betting scandal. He was giving inside information to other bettors who would wager on Porter’s player props. After the league found out, Porter received a lifetime ban from the NBA. Despite Porter’s scandal last season, Adam Silver still strongly believes in his stance on sports betting.

What are other downsides to sports betting in the U.S.?

Professional sports leagues in the United States take gambling on sports betting very seriously. It’s highly prohibited and can lead to a lifetime ban in some cases. We saw that last season when former Raptors two-way player Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban from the NBA. During the 2023 MLB season, Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was involved in a sports betting scandal. 

However, it was not Ohtani who did anything wrong. It was his former personal translator and friend Ippe Mizuhara who stole millions from Ohtani. He then used that money to try and clear a debt he built up through sports betting. Mizuahra was eventually caught and was sentenced to time in prison. At first, some people thought Shohei was involved in the sports betting case but he was not.

Adam Silver would like to see federal regulation for sports betting

As it stands in the U.S., each state has its own sports betting market with its own set of laws and regulations. However, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is still interested in federal regulation for sports betting. Much like he was in 2014 when he wrote his op-ed piece in the New York Times. He explained how each state having separate regulations makes it difficult for the league to have any type of federal administration.