I thought it was the policy of Major League Baseball to distance itself from any form of gambling. But what do we get this year but the marriage of Braves baseball and the Georgia Lottery. I do realize that the lottery has had a billboard at the Ted for several years, but now the Braves logo is on an official gambling item. Here is the wonderful Braves Instant Game from the Georgia Lottery:
Now, I'm not one of those who is totally against gambling; quite the opposite - I'm all for making Underground Atlanta into a huge casino concession. But on one side we are not legally allowed to bet on sports in Georgia, and then we see betting and sports wrapped up together in our state-run lottery. I wonder what would happen if Pete Rose were to play one of these scratch-off games at the Ted - would that be sending the wrong message.
Not only that, but there are (or there is at least one that I saw) booths at the Ted that sell lottery tickets of all sorts. Actual gambling at the stadium! Now that has to cross some lines, right? Why don't we go ahead and turn the clubhouse store into a sports book - that would probably attract a LOT more people to the stadium. Oh well, if nothing else the seeping of the lottery into areas like this will only help to break down the stigma associated with gambling and probably help us down the path towards legalized gambling of all sorts.