Steve Sweeney continues to look out for his own personal interest

Clearly Steve Sweeney is attempting to salvage what is clearly an underwhelming opportunity for the state to increase revenue. As we've discussed over the past few weeks, sports betting will not be the windfall everyone in Trenton predicted and celebrated.

Actually, even if fully implemented according to the state's plan, in the Meadowlands, Monmouth Park and Atlantic City, the state is likely only to generate about $20 million in tax revenue. And that would require the New Jersey sports books to produce at the level that Las Vegas performs now. So Sweeney has decided to grandstand and take shots at pro sports in an effort to save face and blame someone other than the manipulative and disingenuous political elites in Trenton. The NFL and other major sports organizations including Major League Baseball believe that they should receive a portion of the betting proceeds.

Why shouldn’t the leagues benefit from some percentage of betting? They are required to make sure the games are fair. They will have to defend against lawsuits if someone accuses a player for cheating. They will have to police players and personnel to ensure there is no collusion with bettors. After all, the numbers that will be dripping into the state's coffers are so low to begin with, why spend even one more ounce of energy on this gimmick that will not solve the budget crisis even if successful? In typical fashion, Steve Sweeney proves once again that he only has his own best interest in mind, not yours. This is his latest display of just how out of touch he is with working and middle class New Jerseyans. Shame on the Senate President grabbing a headline instead of working for honest solutions that could provide tax relief without cutting services to his constituents.

Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015. Tweet him @NJ1015 or @BillSpadea. The opinions expressed here are solely those of Bill Spadea.

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