Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy (center) tells the New York Daily News’ Mitch Abramson, “things aren’t exactly well between myself and the NBA at this point.” Donaghy, he of the 2007 betting scandal that ended his officiating career, claims his pension’s been confiscated to reimburse the league for the costs of investigating his misdeeds, but what better way to make that money back in a hurry than by gambling legally? This might not be the endorsement NBA commissioner Adam Silver was waiting for, but Donaghy is an enthusiastic supporter of the former’s proposed move towards legalized hoops wagering.
Out of jail and in the sports gambling business, Donaghy says he would stand to profit if Silver gets his wish and sports gambling is made permissible in all states.
“Things will get that much better for my type of business if that happens,” Donaghy said in a phone interview with the Daily News on Friday. “It will get more people involved in gambling knowing that it’s legal and they don’t have to hide what they do.”
“I truly believe that at some point they’re going to have kiosks in every NBA arena, like they do at the airport when you get your boarding pass so you can bet on the games,” Donaghy said. “They’d be like the bookie (taking in) the rake. They have a game plan already laid out on how they’re going to capitalize on it.”
“It’s going to be regulated a lot tighter,” Donaghy said. “I know they would keep an eye on people within the inner circle — the players, the trainers, the referees, anyone who would have inside information.”