Leagues lobby for state gambling cut

PROVIDENCE (AP) — Professional sports leagues believe they should get a cut of the money if Rhode Island legalizes sports gambling.

Executives from Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the PGA Tour went to the statehouse Tuesday to ask for a 0.25 percent “integrity fee” if Rhode Island lawmakers bring sports gambling into the public sphere.

The Supreme Court struck down a federal law Monday that made most sports gambling illegal.

The leagues said they should collect a fee because they create the source of the betting and are responsible for protecting it from fixing.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman William Conley, an East Providence Democrat, said he wasn’t convinced by their arguments. The leagues also asked the state to share data it collects from the bets and said they would license their official statistics.