With the movement to legalize sports gambling gaining steam across the United States, Las Vegas, currently one of the few places in America where one can legally gamble on sports, is looking for ways to maintain its advantage.
One possible way to do that is legalizing gambling on the Olympics, which the Nevada Gaming Control Board has recommended to the state’s gaming commission.
The commission, which will meet on 26th February, has the right to choose different language, such as allowing only gambling on events that don’t involve judges.
Olympic gambling is legal in the United Kingdom, but Nevada agreed to prohibit the practice in 2001 as part of an agreement with the federal government that allowed casinos there to offer gambling on college sports.
Allowing Olympic gambling would give Las Vegas casinos something of a boost in the summer months, which is typically a slow time for sports books.
“We were busy the entire last year because of the World Cup in summer,” Jimmy Vaccaro, who runs the sports book at South Point Casino, told Bloomberg. “These are the things that make a difference.”
US Olympic Committee general counsel Chris McCleary told Bloomberg that the organization will examine the proposal “to ensure that any such step does not threaten the integrity of Olympic sport.”
