Here’s a SportsHandle first: a listicle. Over the past few weeks in states advancing bills to implement legal sports betting, the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball have joined forces to lobby state lawmakers for a 1% “integrity fee” for sports wagers placed on their games (which actually amounts to a 20% cut of sportsbook operator revenue).
The leagues already derive tremendous benefits from sports betting. And Nevada bookmakers already perform integrity monitoring. The leagues acknowledge that legal sports betting is good, and an illegal sports betting market is bad for all parties (except illegal bookmakers). But the leagues want more. Check their talking points here.
But enough of that. Here’s the damn listicle with 15 other — and I submit more accurate — names for “integrity fee.”
1. Money for Nothin’ Tax
2. You Like That Fee? You Like That Fee
3. If Your Legislators Don’t Have a Clue We’ll Give You A Tax, Tax
4. Intimidation Fee
5. You Pay for Our Stadiums Now You’ll Pay for This Too and Like It Tax
6. Havin’ Our Cake And Eatin’ It Too, Tax
7. Hypocrisy Fee
8. Bait-and-Tax Tax
9. We’ve Got More Resources and Lawyers Than You And Will Bully You Into Submission or Die Trying Tax
10. Just Choke on This Bull**** Fee
11. Liftin’ You Up And Shakin’ Out Your Pockets Fee
12. Pay to Play Fee
13. First Amendment Denial Tax
14. Compliance Fee
15. Your Budgets Are Blown, Our Coffers Are Loaded But Pay Us Anyway Fee
Also Check Out From SportsHandle:
What If One League Wants Sports Betting When Other Leagues Do Not?
Indiana Sports Betting Bill Contains Bombshell ‘Integrity Fee’ Provision for Leagues
NBA Pushes For Legal Sports Betting in New York, But Wants Piece of the Action
Congress, A Crystal Ball, And the ‘Controversy’ Over Sports Betting
