Two reports in the Review-Journal remind us how seriously much of the rest of the country takes gambling. In an interview with NBA Commissioner, the paper reports “the city’s legalized sports books remain a source of fear and loathing for NBA leaders.”

Stern hints that Las Vegas would be a leading candidate for any franchise looking for a new home but says that sports betting would be an obstacle. The commissioner says he and the NBA don’t worry about casinos but are only concerned with betting on basketball. If the NBA awarded a franchise to Las Vegas, Stern fears other jurisdictions with NBA ties would also legalize sports betting to generate tax revenue.

Hmmm. This just sounds like polite talk. Any sports franchise has to be nervous about Las Vegas’ reputation as a party town that could spawn not only betting scandals but all manner of other embarrassing episodes if its players were visiting the city. Look at what happened when Kobe Bryant spent a weekend in Aspen.

And from Washington comes a report that efforts to outlaw Internet betting is gaining momentum. Sponsor Bob Gootlatte (R-Va.) says the industry has already grown to a $12 billion business.

“There is no question that a number of our board members think the technology is there to effectively regulate Internet gambling,” American Gaming Association President Frank Fahrenkopf tells the paper. He is promising a full report in April. The effectiveness of any ban will be the key issue. If banking regulation or network blocks don’t work, any ban would rank as the greatest hypocrisy since Prohibition.

Just in case you don’t think online gaming is big business, Bloomberg reports that Playtech Ltd., a designer and developer of online gaming software, said it plans to sell shares worth $300 million in London in an initial public offering valuing the company at about $950 million.