Trump Urges Sports Betting on Boardwalk

Donald Trump and other Atlantic City casino/hotel operators are in the midst of a big push to get Las Vegas-style sports gambling legalized on the boardwalk.

This wasn’t what the voters of New Jersey had in mind in 1976 when they passed an initiative that allowed casino gambling in Atlantic City, but which specifically forbade sports gambling.

But Trump, who owns three Atlantic City casino/hotels, is lobbying heavily in state legislative committees, predicting doom if sports gambling isn’t permitted.

“Atlantic City is in very deep trouble,” Trump told a legislative committee.

“This industry may not exist if it’s not allowed to continue to grow.”

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Add Trump: He also pointed out that estimates of the value of illegal sports gambling in New Jersey run up to $2.4 billion.

Speaking against legalization was NBA Commissioner David Stern.

“The issue here is whether the state should lend its seal to teaching kids about gambling and turning them into gamblers,” Stern said.

Stay tuned. A November ballot initiative is possible.

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The longest blast: Pro golfer Mike Austin, 82, who still teaches the game five days a week at the Studio City Golf and Tennis Club, shocked the golfing world in 1974 when, at age 64, he launched what is still the longest drive in PGA history, a 515-yard monster during the U.S. Seniors Open in Las Vegas.

Aided by a 35-m.p.h. tail wind, the ball landed within yards of the green on the par-four, 450-yard fifth hole at the Wildwood Golf Club, coming to rest 65 yards beyond the green.

Recounting the shot recently, Austin said:

“What I remember is that after chipping back to the green, I three-putted for a damn bogey. But it was one hell of a drive, wasn’t it?”

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Trivia time: Which Super Bowl game did not sell out?

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Sons of the game: There will be an interesting high school basketball matchup Tuesday in Brentwood.

Playing for Crossroads High of Santa Monica will be 6-foot-4 senior guard Bakir Allen. And for Brentwood Academy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a 6-5 junior forward.

Their fathers, Lucius Allen and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, were teammates at UCLA and with the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.

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Wish list: Newsday boxing writer Wallace Matthews says his New Year’s resolution is to get rid of boxing’s self-appointed governing bodies and to recognize only one set of champions. Matthews’ “world champions”:

Heavyweight: Riddick Bowe. Cruiserweight: No such division. Light-heavyweight: Prince Charles Williams. Super-middleweight: Iran Barkley. Middleweight: Julian Jackson. Junior-middleweight: Terry Norris. Welterweight: Buddy McGirt.

Junior-welterweight: Julio Cesar Chavez. Lightweight: Vacant. Junior-lightweight: Azumah Nelson. Featherweight: Yung-Kyun Park. Junior-featherweight: Tracy Patterson. Bantamweight: Orlando Canizales. Junior-bantamweight: Robert Quiroga. Flyweight: Yuri Arbachakov. Junior-flyweight: Michael Carbajal.

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Why not Jane Fonda?If you were marketing a boxing fitness regimen and were searching for someone to endorse your product, wouldn’t you consider a boxer?

Not the BoxeRobics people of Los Angeles. They picked Jimmy Lennon Jr. Now, Lennon is a terrific boxing public address announcer, but has never reminded anyone of Marvin Hagler.

Or even Marc Gastineau.

And another thing. Haven’t the BoxeRobics people noticed that every time the fight starts in the ring, Lennon leaves?

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Trivia answer: The first one. Super Bowl I, matching Green Bay and Kansas City, drew 61,946 at the Coliseum on Jan. 15, 1967.

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Quotebook: Florida State linebacker Marvin Jones, when asked if he could stop Nebraska’s tailbacks in the Orange Bowl: “I can stop the world from spinning.”