Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said the league is “reexamining” its stance toward sports betting, offering further hope that the worm is turning for US legal wagering.
On Wednesday, Manfred made an appearance at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit in New York, where he noted that there was “this buzz out there that there may be an opportunity here for additional legalized sports betting. We are reexamining our stance on gambling. It’s a conversation that’s ongoing with the owners.”
The ‘buzz’ Manfred referenced centers around the US Supreme Court sending out signals last month that it may consider New Jersey’s bid to launch legal sports betting within its borders, a plan that lower courts have struck down as a violation of the federal PASPA sports betting prohibition.
This year has already witnessed politicians in four US states – Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and South Carolina – file legislation that would authorize betting within their borders if either the Supreme Court sides with New Jersey or federal politicians replace PASPA with a legal framework for nationwide betting.