THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: It's illegal, but we still want to bet on big game

Henry is frustrated.

Worse than that, he works himself up to the point that he’s sure society is conspiring against him.

I get to hear his repeatable angst because we’re neighbors, and he knows what I do for a living.

“Sometimes I wish you worked on a construction crew, and had nothing to do with sports,” he said this week. “Then, I’d have to take out my rising madness on someone else, and we could have nice, calm chats.”

So, what exactly is driving Henry crazy?

Simple.

He wants to bet money on sports events.

No, it’s not using his knowledge and endless study to help the Earth with climate change. 

No, he’s not spending all his free hours volunteering to help the homeless.

Still.

He may not be Mother Teresa, but he believes that he’s not harming anyone — and he sees no reason the state of Idaho should limit how he spends some of his free cash.

For years now, Henry has made his wagers with a bookie — a golf buddy who moonlights with a profitable gambling enterprise.

You probably know that the fellow taking those bets is breaking the law.

ON THE other hand, it’s not illegal for Henry to MAKE the bets — in Vegas or on the 7th tee box — so pondering his place as a law-abiding citizen, Henry can sleep like a baby.

Except this week.

For these several days leading up to the Super Bowl, Henry may not sleep at all.

He’s just angry.

His bookie is buried in business, so that’s a hassle — plus, the guy has said this is his last Super Bowl, and then he’s done taking bets.

Ever.

(FYI, the bookie has made so much money that he’s moving to a villa in the Caribbean.)

But.

Back to Henry.

“Why should I have to drive to some casino over in Washington just to make a bet?” he said.

“I don’t want to go join a Super Bowl mob at Northern Quest over in Spokane.”

OK, so now we reach the critical point of this discussion.

See, Henry DOESN’T actually have to cross the border to bet on the Super Bowl — or on anything else.

Idaho has plenty of strange laws, and its approach to sports betting is not only unusual, but costly. 

Consider this snippet from Business Insider magazine.

Americans are projected to place $100 billion in legal sports bets this year through platforms like DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM, according to a November American Gaming Association report, which included a September survey of over 5,200 US adults. At that time, 35 states plus D.C. had legalized sports betting in some form, either online, in-person, or both.

But it’s not legal in Idaho, right?

Wrong.

The state has no legislation prohibiting sports bets on those platforms just mentioned — all of which are based outside the United States.

Some states ban sports betting of all kind, but Idaho stops at the border.

Any kind of sports betting based in Idaho is illegal, including Native American casinos.

IT’S A strange approach, because all that money being bet here at home could be taxed — as it is in Washington casinos.

Idaho essentially is pushing its sports bettors to online operations based on an island somewhere offshore.

That’s tax money gone.

We know that a majority of Idaho residents do not object to gambling — this is a state with a booming lottery, not to mention the Native American casinos.

Why wouldn’t we allow sports betting, and let the state pocket the tax revenue?

It would be a bundle.

The Native American operations naturally have lobbied for sports betting — since it would be way more revenue, and they pay NO tax.

Somehow, Idaho has set up a system where anyone can bet legally on the Super Bowl — but only on sites like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM and so forth.

If you’ve ever bet on those platforms, you may know that large winnings are taxed — but ONLY by the federal government.

Idaho and a few other holdout states simply watch the money fly away.

Meanwhile, these businesses are multiplying like amoeba.

The NFL and other leagues have commercial deals with various gambling companies.

The Sounders now have a naming rights deal with Emerald Queen Casino for the pitch at Lumen Field.

This is an avalanche that shows no sign of stopping — and why would it, with such staggering amounts of money sloshing around?

Henry keeps asking me when Idaho will allow sports betting at Native American casinos.

He’d like to play golf in Worley, then walk five minutes to wager on baseball and have a lovely prime rib dinner. 

So far, no luck.

Except.

The golf and dinner are terrific.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”