Adam Silver: “The Only Way for the NBA to Stop Harmful Gambling Behavior is Through Participation”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver talked about the future of the NBA and sports betting in an interview with NBC Sports Washington’s Wizards Insider Chris Miller.

Adam Silver Talks About NBA’s Future on NBC Sports Washington

In an interview with NBC Sports Washington’s Wizards Insider, Chris Miller, on NBC Sports Washington’s Wizards Pregame Live, NBA commissioner Adam Silver talked about the future of the NBA and sports betting. He praised Monumental Sports and Entertainment (MSE) chairman and CEO Ted Leonsis for opening William Hill Sportsbook at Capital One Arena. It is the first sports arena in the country to host a sports betting facility.

Silver talked about the importance of the NBA’s involvement in the sports betting industry. Washington Wizards, which owns MSE, can now capitalize on the growth of sports betting, which is something the NBA is also doing.

Silver Emphasized the Importance of Transparency 

The NBA commissioner said that the federal and state regulatory framework is important. The league should also be part of it and be cautious and look for problem gambling to help protect the integrity of the game. When he became commissioner in 2014, Silver saw the internet’s role in sports betting in states where it was illegal and thought that the only way for the league to stop harmful gambling behavior is through participation. 

He gave two reasons for it: the first one is the integrity of the game by partnering with betting companies, tracking and investigating at-risk gambling, and the second one is NBA’s intellectual property. Silver said that the association spends billions of dollars to create this original product. He said that if people use the data around the games to wager, the NBA should be a part of it, and it will learn as it goes. 

Silver emphasized the importance of transparency and gave European soccer as an example, along with other markets with similar success. He said that the future of the NBA is in bringing more and more transparency. He called it the “gamification” of sports.

NBA Launched Its NBABet TV Show

This month the NBABet TV Show launched just in time for the playoffs. Presented by BetMGM, the TV show targets NBA betting fans. It shows the association’s commitment to sports betting. The TV show launched on NBA TV at 6:30 pm Eastern Time on May 21, 2021. The association also launched a new @NBABet handle for social media. The show can continue and become a regular fixture on NBA TV.

In May, NBA also reported 25% fewer viewers in comparison to pre-pandemic times. The decrease in viewership could impact NBA’s TV contract.