SIDELINES : Football Card Betting Opposed
Massachusetts lottery officials said today that a proposed football card betting game could net $40 million a year, but a National Football League executive said it would cheapen the sport. Lottery Director James Hosker said the game, similar to Oregon’s, would also put a dent in illegal gambling by providing a legal outlet for those who like to bet on football cards.
“In Massachusetts, pool card betting is very popular,” Hosker said at a hearing of the Legislature’s Government Regulations Committee.
The football betting bill is sponsored by Rep. William Galvin (D-Boston), House chairman of the committee and a candidate for state treasurer. The treasurer’s office oversees the lottery.
Jay Moyer, executive vice president of the National Football League, accompanied by New England Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan, strongly opposed the bill. “Legalizing sports gambling will threaten public confidence in the integrity of professional football,” Moyer said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
