Yes, we’re coming up on “The Big Game” and the American Gaming Association is as pass-happy as the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons offenses. It’s lobbing bombs anywhere from Eau Claire to Huntsville, from Fox Business Network to CBS Boston, Patriot home turf, and it’s got everybody singing from the same hymnal: $4.7 billion will be wagered on Super Bowl 51 and 97% of that action will be illegal. I’m impressed with the 
AGA’s ability to blanket the airwaves with this story, not to mention its message discipline. Should sports betting be legal? Of course it should. What’s newsworthy here is the blitz put on by the AGA, which only a few years ago was seldom seen and even less heard. At least CBS Boston explains the AGA’s methodology, noting that “the $4.7 billion figure is merely an estimate and not an official number. The AGA arrived at the number by taking national estimates from a 1999 report from the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, adjusting for inflation, then applying the ratio of Nevada’s legal sports betting totals to bets across the rest of the country.” Action is said to be 11% up over last year, probably in anticipation of a high-scoring game. What’s the over/under on people likely to be offended by Lady Gaga’s halftime show?
* Will Ten, the erstwhile Revel, be open by President’s Day? Owner Glenn Straub certainly hopes so. However, he continues to duck the casino-licensing process, claiming he’s exempt because he’s subleasing the casino. However, he’ll be getting a slice of the revenues, so we still remain unconvinced that New Jersey regulators should make a special case for him.
* “Alarming” is how Deadwood Gaming Association Executive Director Mike Rodman describes a 25% plunge in December gambling revenues for the South Dakota town. The lugubrious finish to 2016 pulled casino revenues 5% into the red for the year. We’ve not seen anything in other regions that was anywhere this cataclysmic and are as befuddled as Deadwood for an explanation.
* DFS giant DraftKings has penetrated the soft underbelly of the European Union …… Malta. For those who appreciate irony, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is in court, defending DFS, which he had hitherto held to be illegal.
