What will this mean to Las Vegas

Quote: Wizard

...illegal to make a bet over state lines using a "wire." ...

My understanding is that the issue of doing it crossing state lines is the prohibition entirely

Quote: Wizard

I thought the Wire Act basically made it illegal to make a bet over state lines using a "wire."

It was originally the bookies that needed to use telegraphs and telephones: they needed the race results and they often needed to lay-off bets with each other since often sports bettors favor local teams. It was control of the race result wire services that gave organized crime such control over local bookmaking activities.

As far as Sports Books go, a federal law of perhaps dubious constitutionality effectively made sports books illegal in the USA but exempted existing or in-process sports books. New Jersey was the "in-process" state but New Jersey failed to actually complete anything within the statutorily prescribed one year period which I believe expired in 1994.

The question is did Congress intend to preempt state laws in the area of gambling due to an overriding need for uniform laws.

Its known as: The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.

Quote: Wizard

I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'm still unconvinced. I thought the Wire Act basically made it illegal to make a bet over state lines using a "wire." Can you, or anyone, quote me chapter and verse of the Wire Act, or anything, that gives Nevada a monopoly on sports betting?

Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992
Title 28 Chapter 178

If California and other states start allowing sports betting what will Vegas come up with next? If they had any brains at all they would legalize prostitution in Clark, Washoe and Douglas counties. Set up the Dutch solution just as in Amsterdam and also relax the drug laws and have some form of reefer bar. Put the sin back into "Sin City"

Quote: Wizard

Still, it won't be good for Nevada, but this is supposed to be free enterprise, get over it.

I agree.

Nevada could try to diversify. I know not all of the state's economy is based on gambling, but much of it is. They need to attract other business as well. Of course that won't help the casinos, or necessarily Las Vegas either.

One business based in Nevada is Bigelow Aerospace. The company is building a space hotel based on an old inflatable design NASA studied but never used. They've launched two scale prototypes already, and have contracted with SpaceX for launch services. SpaceX, in turn, just succssfully launched its heavy lift rocket, the Falcon 9, and is developing a crewed capsule, Dragon.

Given the large amounts of uninhabited desert in Nevada, plus a good transportation hub in Vegas and existing rail lines, the state ought to lure development of launching facilities. Of course there's already one in development in New Mexico for Virgin Galactic, but that operation handles aircraft, not rockets.

Anyway, on other things, why is the expiration time of tickets an issue?

Admittedly I've never won that much, but I always cash slot/VP tickets within minutes of getting them (at the ticket redemption machines). I've never placed bets in a sports book, but if I did I'd also cash a winning ticket as soon as possible, certainly within a week.

So, as I see it, thirty days is much more time than I need.

It is if you forget about a ticket then find it at the bottom of your bag when you arrive home, say I am killing a few minutes before my show poking the poker machine, its time to go in I cash out stick the ticket in my bag then I magically find it while unpacking my luggage back in San Francisco! (true story by the way, but I took the loss it was a ticket for $2.75)

Quote: Nareed

One business based in Nevada is Bigelow Aerospace.

I'm all in favor of welcoming any non-gaming business to try to diversify. The big debate is in expanding the "clean energy" businesses. Personally, I favor it, but that is another discussion. Another topic is now that the private sector is getting into the space business, I'd like to propose scaling back NASA to doing just SETI and non-manned probes. In my opinion, the return on investment on the International Space Station and Space Shuttles was much too low.

Quote: Nareed

So, as I see it, thirty days is much more time than I need.

Not everybody can conveniently cash a ticket so quickly. Lots of bettors will not plan to return to the place where they made a bet for months. For example, somebody wants to bet a game that will end after they leave town, not to return for 6 months. Yes, you can mail tickets in, but it is inconvenient, not to mention the expense of a tracking envelope both ways for security.

Quote: Wizard

Another topic is now that the private sector is getting into the space business, I'd like to propose scaling back NASA to doing just SETI and non-manned probes.

It's heading that way already. Obama, in a rare move, pretty much has ended NASA's manned space program. Astronauts will still go to space under NASA, but private companies will develop the launch hardware mostly on their own.

Quote:

In my opinion, the return on investment on the International Space Station and Space Shuttles was much too low.

There was a return on the investment???? I mean beyond helping the Soviets go broke trying to copy the Shuttle.

Seriously, the lesson is "I will not base a multi-decade space program on an experimental design."

Quote:

Not everybody can conveniently cash a ticket so quickly. Lots of bettors will not plan to return to the place where they made a bet for months.

Ok, that's a good reason.

BTW I was nearly in that situation myself. My brother asked me whether I could palce a bet for the worldcup while in Vgeas. I suggested he try the local sports book. He realized that made better sense.

I never place a long term prop bet in Vegas, as I'll never get to cash it. I would possibly do so if I new I could cash it out on my trip next year.

I don't bet on sports. But if I didwhile in Vegas, I would only place such bets as would be resolved while my stay lasts.

In the summer of 2006 I went to Orlando. I bought a few lotto tickets, then realized they'd be very hard to collect if I won anything. Since then I've not repeated such behavior. I didn't win anything, BTW.

Anyway, if the sports books are losing prospective bettors due to their ticket policies, they'd change such policies. So either 1) they're unaware of lost business or 2) don't care because whatever's lost doesn't amount to much.

Of course it would be better to simply allow sports betting all over the US. Casinos are pretty much within easy reach of the entire country now, state lotteries are prevalent all over, so what's a little more legal gambling but extra tax revenue? I assume there's plenty of illegal sports betting outside of Nevada anyway.

The pro sports leagues have no reason to be concerned, either. Sports books are prevalent in places like England, where people also devote much free time to watching sports. The various leagues could institute a one-strike policy, though, for their own mebers: bet on the sport of your league and you're banned for life. I'd apply this to players, owners, coaches, officials and anyone else who can directly affect the outcome of a game (not, for instance, the people holding the chains at NFL games). Naturally they could make bets in other sports.

Hell, if the NFL is so concerned about its image, it can deplore and condemn all sports gambling, and even run ads warning about compulsive gambling. The league already advertises itself endlessly in its own cable network.