Sports want a cut of money wagered on teams:

Major League Baseball and the casino industry are entrenched in their views on a league proposal to get a cut from wagers placed on the sport following the repeal of a federal ban on sports betting earlier this year.

Representatives from both industries vigorously defended their believed right over the money wagered Wednesday during a panel at the casino industry’s top trade show in Las Vegas. The MLB and other pro leagues haves asked for a percentage of the wagers, and casinos have strongly opposed any direct payments.

Kenny Gersh, the league’s executive vice president of gaming, told the crowd of casino executives that a proposed 0.25 percent fee — which some have dubbed an “integrity fee” — is essentially a royalty that casino companies should pay if they are going to make money off of the sport. He defended it as a case of “fairness” and partnership with casino operators.

It takes a lot of Chutzpah to ask for someone else’s money. After all, gambling on football is why so many people watch the sport in the first place. Professional and college TV ratings should do even better with more people wagering on games.

Of course, MLB is very rich, and I could see them investing in a sports betting casino of their own. If it worked out like MLBAM, other sports would wind up paying MLB to run their sports books, and MLB might put the casinos out of the market.