ESPN personality and anchor Scott Van Pelt was an early proponent for the legalization of sports betting in the U.S.<\/p>\n
His reasoning was simple, he told an audience at the Global Gaming Expo Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I have common sense,\u201d he said in answer to a question from the American Gaming Association\u2019s Sara Slane. \u201cI live in a state (Connecticut) where I can buy lottery tickets at a gas station, go to a casino and play blackjack, but I can\u2019t bet on the Red Sox or the Yankees? People bet. They are adults. I\u2019m in favor of adults doing adult things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Pelt, host of the midnight (Eastern Time) edition of\u00a0SportsCenter, held a discussion with Slane, the AGA\u2019s senior vice president of public affairs, on \u201cThe Future of Legalized, Regulated Sports Betting in the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because his popular show is late night on the east coast, the show dives into various issues, besides showing highlights from the day\u2019s sporting events. Van Pelt also likes to discuss gambling, including the betting lines on games. He told ESPN officials early on he was going to discuss sports betting on his show.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in the content business,\u201d Van Pelt said. \u201cI told everyone, look I\u2019m going talk about gambling. I\u2019m not going to ignore the elephant in the room. I\u2019m going to party with it and ride around on it. It\u2019s all about common sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sports betting rose to a heightened level in May after the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act and opened the U.S. for legal sports wagering. Four states \u2013 Delaware, New Jersey, Mississippi and West Virginia have added sports books at racetracks and casinos. A New Mexico Indian casino plans to open a sports book next and Pennsylvania is expected to launch sports betting as soon as the end of this month.<\/p>\n
He likened the rush for states to add sports betting like a wedding reception. When the dancing begins, some people are quick to jump out on the dance floor. Others wait to see how the night goes.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe six months, a year, we\u2019ll get to a point where everyone, even grandma, is out on the dance floor,\u201d Van Pelt said. \u201cRight now, we\u2019re at a point where everyone is just getting after it. I don\u2019t know where things will go, but all the avenues are being explored.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Pelt told the audience he wasn\u2019t concerned that legal sports betting would compromise game integrity. The over-ridding concern has been with officials and others that \u201cmost likely have a direct impact\u201d on a game\u2019s outcome. He\u2019s not worried about players. \u201cThey make too much money\u201d to compromise integrity.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to be vigilant,\u201d Van Pelt told casino and sports book operators. \u201cYou have to be concerned, but you just can\u2019t listen to the conspiracy theorists and the idiots on Twitter.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also spent a few minutes bashing \u201cintegrity fees\u201d and requests by the leagues that casinos and sportsbooks pay for data.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t get it. They want to sell you data? I can get that information with my own eyes,\u201d Van Pelt said.<\/p>\n
Surrounding his support for legalized sports betting, Van Pelt made two key points: Daily Fantasy Sports is sports gambling \u2013 despite the objections operators of the activity made a few years ago \u2013 and legal sports betting won\u2019t create more problem gamblers.<\/p>\n
He recalled a segment he did for ESPN in 2015 on the plethora of television advertisements that were running for Daily Fantasy Sports.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seemed like in every commercial break there was an ad with some dude holding a check for 2,000 bucks,\u201d Van Pelt said. \u201cI made the distinction that it was daily, and they were paying on the outcome of sports. It\u2019s betting.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for problem gambling, Van Pelt said he wasn\u2019t making light of the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cToo much of anything is bad. I think that\u2019s understood,\u201d Van Pelt said. \u201cYou have to be responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Pelt used the legalization of marijuana in several states as an example.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaking it legal and regulation it is a positive thing,\u201d he said. \u201cNo one is going to say, \u2018hey, it\u2019s legal, let\u2019s go rip bong hits all day.\u2019 No one is going to jump into sports betting just because its legal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Pelt has been with ESPN since 2001. He also contributes to ESPN\u2019s telecasts of professional golf\u2019s major tournaments, as both an anchor and hole announcer, and has hosted ESPN radio broadcasts.<\/p>\n