New PGA Tour commissioner open to possible legal sports betting

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New PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan is keeping an open mind to all kinds of new opportunities and avenues now that he is at the helm — including not shutting the door on an embrace of legalized sports betting.

“You look at [daily fantasy sports providers] DraftKings and Fan Duel, you look at gaming in the international markets, there’s a lot of opportunity there,” Monahan said in a Tuesday interview with Golf Channel. “There’s some complexity, and that complexity has held us back from moving forward. But we will look at it and have an open mind toward it.”

Sports betting is only legal in a few American states, including full sports betting in Nevada. However, through online off-shore sportsbooks and local bookmakers, Americans are estimated to wager in the hundreds of billions on sports each year. Overseas, particularly in Europe, sports betting is legal and in the open, with books sponsoring sports teams and leagues.

New PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan is diving into his new role head first (Getty Images)

There is some legislative momentum to bring about an overhaul of federal gambling laws, including allowing sports betting and clearing the way for more regulated and taxed online gambling sites.

Monahan’s views appear to fall short of the full-throated embrace of sports betting voiced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver. However, there was talk dating back to former PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem’s final 18 months that the Tour was studying legal sports betting and potential impact on the sport.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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