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NCAA's moves over betting 'ludicrous,' N.J. official says

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The NCAA is "ludicrous and hypocritical" for moving five championship games out of New Jersey next year because the state plans to offer legalized sports betting, a spokesman for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said.

"The NCAA wants to penalize New Jersey for legalizing what occurs illegally every day in every state, and often with the participation of organized crime," the spokesman, Michael Drewniak, told The Associated Press. "But the NCAA looks the other way for that?"

New Jersey plans to license sports betting as soon as Jan. 9. It published regulations governing it on Monday, clearing the way for interested casinos or horse racing tracks to apply for $50,000 "sports pool licenses."

But federal law bars New Jersey from allowing sports betting, and the NCAA and the major professional sports leagues are suing to try to block it.

In the meantime, the Indianapolis-based NCAA announced Monday that it would play no more championship games in the state.

Mark Lewis, the NCAA's executive vice president of championships and alliances, said it has no choice but to find a different place to play the games: The NCAA has a policy prohibiting states with single-game sports wagering from hosting its championships.

"Maintaining the integrity of sports and protecting student-athlete well-being are at the bedrock of the NCAA's mission," he said. "We will work hard in the days ahead to find new suitable host locations which will allow the student-athletes to have the best possible competitive experience."

Drewniak noted that New Jersey's law bans betting on New Jersey college teams and on any college game played in the state.

An NCAA spokesman did not immediately return a message seeking comment Tuesday.

The collegiate association said the five championships it is moving from New Jersey to still-to-be-determined locations next year include Division I swimming and diving (scheduled for Piscataway from March 14-17); regional games in the Division I women's basketball tournament (scheduled for Trenton from March 30-April 2); Division III men's volleyball (scheduled for Hoboken from April 26-28); and Division II and III women's lacrosse (scheduled for Montclair from May 18-19).

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, one of the biggest proponents of legalized sports betting in New Jersey, said the loss of the NCAA games is no big deal, since the state will be adding "billions of revenues for our state, our casinos and racetracks."

"And when the federal ban on sports betting is declared unconstitutional, other states will follow New Jersey's lead," Lesniak added. "The only place the NCAA will be able to have its championships played will be in Utah."

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  • The NCAA is Kidding - Right?
    Will everyone who truly believes that you cannot place a bet on any college sports event, and do so right here in Indiana, please stand-up. Like it or not, New Jersey sees the revenue that Sports Pool Licenses will create. The NCAA just needed a reason to move Championship Events to better venues than New Jersey. This way, the righteous NCAA can break a contract. Enter the lawyers from Stage Right.
  • rake in cash
    Pretty sure its the other way around. the states smart enough to allow betting will be the ones raking in the cash. I've never understood how states can pretend that gambling on sports should be illegal while they have powerball state lotteries. sooner or later all states will stop ignoring the obvious tax revenues and stop letting off shore countries rake in all the money.
  • Or Sen Lesniak, Indiana. Since we are the fall back location for Final Fours, I would think we should get the Womens Regional game. And if all states want to take sports betting I am sure we would gladly host all of the womens and mens Bball tourneys, NCAA Football bowl and championship games and on and on. While states jump on the betting pool, Indiana will rake in the cash.

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  1. liek the rest of America

  2. These quaint,obsessed musings by the stalkers are certainly entertaining, but I'm trying to figure out what, if anything, all the yelping below has to do with Zak Brown.

  3. It's evident that Moffett was pushing the right buttons and corporate America is now trying to squash him. He just wanted to withdraw the free pilot services provided to the company by the pilots to try and put some pressure on a company that has not been interested in negotiating a contract in over 5 years. The company does not provide a contract because not having one has saved them a bundle of money. Shame on any Republic pilots not standing behind their union leader just because things are getting tough, can you not see such strategic moves by the company as putting the last union president in a corporate position and into THEIR pocket. Do you really believe the last union president is so appalled at the attempts by Moffett, do you not remember his oppositions to the company? We stood behind him. It has been proven over and over again for thousands of years without fail, a man cannot serve two masters. Anyone that believes people vote contrary to their paycheck and livelihood deserve to be taken advantage of, the recent statements by the former union president are laughable as he denounces the current union president from his new corporate position. Have you ever seen a drafted sports player score points for his previous team, it cannot be done, he is not on the pilots side anymore, he gets his money a different way now than you and I do, and he should not be allowed to remain on the seniority list. A drafted player brings strength, credibility, tactical knowledge, and a strategic advantage to his NEW team, he would not be drafted or paid were it otherwise. We are all forced to choose only one side to play for and support, not doing so has many references in life such as insider trading and shaving points, all illegal for good reason. This basic fact is why corporate moguls, scientist, and engineers all sign non-discloser agreements and non-compete clauses, as protection in case they are lured into switching sides as our former union president has done. No NFL coach ever drafted a player so that both teams could benefit and better understand each other, they are recruited to win the game against that former team, period. Likewise the company does not recruit the former union president by accident or mutual understanding, its strategy. Don't confuse playing the game with good sportsman-like conduct in support of common business and prosperity goals, with the requirement to only play for one side. Good men we all love and favor fall subject to this manipulation, often without their knowledge, and it is not a betrayal of their friendship to oppose them when they switch sides. If we did not love and trust them, they would not have been chosen and lured to the other side in the first place. The deception by the drafted player is not made at a conscious level, it's just human nature and it's all about money and power which corrupts our ability to be objective and loyal to two masters. This is why our court system created the defense attorney, and why our military created counter intelligence. Its strategy and its propaganda, and it works, and that's why the "powers to be" manipulate the chess pieces by sometimes changing their colors. Some players know they are being manipulated when their color is changed, but it brings them more money and power so they do not care. The rest have good intentions but do not even realize they are being manipulated. This tactic is also known by another name, Divide and Conquer. In battle sending an imperfect message with an imperfect team is obviously not ideal, but it's still being sent by YOUR team, your union leader, a leader that has common goals and common rewards with you, they are the best, because we have elected them to do a job for us. If you are not backing Moffett but believing the spin by those that have recently switched sides, you are taking food out of your own mouth. Showing unity and backing an imperfect situation still results in taking just as much ground, it's about unity and bargaining power. It's not necessary to wait around for that perfect attack because it will never come, the company will spin and attempt to destroy anyone that gets in their way. Ultimately it's not about any specific attack anyway, ASAP or whatever it makes no difference, it is and always has been only about power. If this company cared about safety it would not build pairings with 8 hour overnights, come on, are you that naive? Besides, do you really think Hoffa cares, no, he got a call from corporate America and was squeezed into denouncing Moffett. If he didn't they would spin the safety card against him and the Teamsters National with implication for truckers, future contracts, insurance rates etc...saying something like the Teamsters use safety as a bargaining chip, blah blah blah... Do you really think any pilot is going to do something unsafe for the contract, absolutely not, the only ones threatening safety here is the company with reduced rest, fatigue, and poverty. Do you not find it odd that Hoffa and the Teamsters are opposing a Teamster president publicly? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and work with one of their own? Why did they not sit down and help him strategize, correct any mistakes, and charge ahead? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and leverage a contract for all those pilots that have been paying Teamster dues, isn't that why we have all been paying Teamster dues in the first place? I sure haven't been paying dues so that the Teamsters National could come along and write this kind of an article undercutting our union leader and our unity. Whose side is the Teamsters National really on, it's obviously not the Republic pilots side.

  4. No matter what Moffatt does the company is going to spin it like he is the terrorist and brainwash people like you into believing it, wake up, back your players that are trying to change things for you and your livelihood. Where has Hoffa been for the last 6 years, except collecting our dues. Seriously, do you really think an FO going for upgrade, signed off by a checkairman ready for the upgrade, who then fails, is not even capable of returning as a First Officer.

  5. whoa!

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