Gambling will take over TV sports By Holman W. Jenkins, Jr., The Wall Street Journal April 20, 2019 at 1:38 pm Folks in the cable TV business aren’t taking any chances. When the Supreme Court last year struck down a federal law banning sports betting, they knew it was good news for the beleaguered cable bundle, the glue of which is live sports. But why wait for gambling to find its way to sports fans and sports fans to find their way to the TV? Why not give them a push? Now underway are experiments to do just that, which will likely change televised sports forever. NESN, the cable network that carries the Boston Red Sox, has launched a new five-day-a-week gambling show, never mind that the Massachusetts legislature is still working on a bill to authorize sports betting. ESPN has two wagering shows nationwide, one on its main network, one for its online streaming service. And Comcast has been experimenting with a special telecast of 76ers games for gamblers.
