It's no secret that America's biggest sporting passion, professional football (the American kind) owes a large part of it's success to gambling; while the game itself is a ubiquitous part of the culture, interest is also driven by betting.
It comes as good news then, that soccer betting is on the rise in the United States.
Say what you will about the morality or social value of gambling, it's clearly not going anywhere and has a major part to play in the big-business aspects of top-level sports leagues. MLS is not immune, and will benefit from a higher gambling profile. The more bettors, the more eyes on the league; while the traditional attitude towards gambling among American leagues is one of disdain and the approach is invariably one of outward disassociation, there's a "wink-wink" (or hypocritical if you'd like) attitude towards the industry. The NFL, NBA, and to a lesser extent MLB know how important gambling is to their prosperity.
There won't be one tipping point for soccer in the United States; things will continue to move slowly, with one domino knocking down another until we reach the day that the game is no longer struggling to "arrive" here. Significant gambling on the sport is one of those domino's, and while I don't believe that this news equates exactly to that domino "falling", it is a good sign that serious sports fans (because bettors are nothing if not the most serious of sports fans) are bringing soccer into their portfolios.
NFL television ratings are what they are in part because gambling means that people who might not have a vested interest normally are engaged. More gamblers should mean better TV ratings, as people around the country watch the action with their bets in mind.
Gambling has been, and will probably remain, the 500-lb. gorilla in the American sports room; while I might actually advocate MLS embracing gambling concerns as partners and advertisers (as English clubs do for example), it's doubtful that the league would take such a revolutionary step. It would clearly separate them from the major sports, something they seem loathe to do. Part of soccer's strength is those aspects that make it unique; there would be nothing more unique in the US than a league that recognizes the importance of gambling, embraces it while being mindful of the potential for corruption (which obviously cannot simply be dismissed as a concern), and increases its exposure through it.
More than likely, it's too early or too risky for MLS to go that route. Still, if gambling on soccer is on the rise, Major League Soccer could potentially benefit.
