Confusing and ambiguous are the words that first come to mind when trying to decipher exactly what is going on in the world of sports wagering in Arkansas.
Once the U.S. Supreme Court ruled states can legally wager -- in layman's terms that means have a sports book -- somehow the state of Mississippi got up and running in a matter of weeks.
It appears in Arkansas there is going to be enough documentation to challenge the Unaffordable Care Act as the most overwritten legislation in the world.
All of the concerns, demands, questions and whereto and therefores all fall on the governor's appointed seven-person racing commission, whose members were chosen to oversee horse and dog racing and some games of skill.
When the commissioners, good and smart people, needed a set of casino-type gambling regulations they turned to the experts in Las Vegas and got a professional set of rules and regulations.
Now come two groups who would like to make suggestions. One is a faith-based group of good citizens in Arkansas who have apparently hired a Drake University law professor. There are 35 states wrangling with these same issues, and we get a dude from Iowa telling us what to do. Some suggestions were good, like no credit for gamblers.
Others not so good, such as no ATMs in the casinos. He obviously doesn't personally know a single millennial, a group that doesn't carry cash and lives through their ATM cards.
Also coming forth is the University of Arkansas, Arkansas State University, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the University of Arkansas-Little Rock with a five-page letter expressing normal concerns about wagering on games, which those schools specifically want defined as sporting events.
It appears, and this is just a guess, when those four state schools wanted their voice heard they turned to the NCAA and someone did some copying and pasting.
Regardless, both groups, like everyone in Arkansas has a right to be concerned and to be heard.
The No. 1 concern for the universities is avoiding a gambling controversy, or in layman's terms, point shaving.
For example, if Arkansas was favored by five points, and a whole bunch of folks bet on the opponent and the Razorbacks won by three, but missed a bunch of free throws that would be suspect ... OK, that's a bad example for the Hogs because free throw shooting in not their strength, but you get the picture.
The universities also appear to be concerned about coaches, administrators and others wagering on their own school. Not on horses or dogs since they don't ride them, but games, uh sporting events.
If that is the case, instead of asking the sports parlors to do the impossible and monitor who is wagering (understand on any given day Oaklawn Park or Southland Park can have more than 20,000 gamblers on their premises), follow the lead of NASCAR: Any driver, mechanic, owner or anyone on a racing team who gets caught betting on or against their team is OUT.
Don't know if it can be done legally, but the best way to avoid a gambling controversy would be for every college and university in Arkansas to make it mandatory that no employee who has contact with a student-athlete can wager on sporting events in Arkansas.
Probably the schools would like it if there was a rule that they could not be wagered on, however, that would be a large percentage of the take for the sports books. What's the sense of fans betting on games if they can't bet on their favorite team?
Anyway, that's one guy's take on a complicated situation that is going to take a while longer to get up and running.
Sports on 02/20/2019