NBA executive talks sports betting in Springfield

Posted on March 29, 2019
The question of who should operate sports gambling in Illinois was before a House committee Thursday and an NBA executive made a stop in Springfield to weigh in. (Dan Spillane/LinkedIn)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – An NBA executive was in Springfield Thursday to say it’s time to get used to sports betting being legal.

“There’s billions of dollars already being bet on NBA games right now, so the question is what’s the right way to do it,” says Dan Spillane. “The choices are to allow the illegal offshore market to continue to flourish or to try to regulate it and have it so betting on our games is safe and has more integrity than there is right now.”

Members of the Illinois House Revenue and Finance Committee heard about various options being proposed: for sports books to be hosted in casinos, at race tracks, or at off-track betting parlors; or have the lottery run it, which two states currently do.

Gov. Pritzker wants sports gambling to start paying off in the fiscal year that starts July 1.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…