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00:00So let's get started here. Speaking of cold, Ravens bills yesterday. What an epic end of the game. One that you don't see all that very often. 27 to 25. The final score is the Buffalo Bills are headed to the AFC championship game. But did it come easy? No, it did not. The Bills led by eight points going into the final drive. The Ravens score a late touchdown to pull within two.
00:25Lamar Jackson throws a pass to Mark Andrews in the corner of the end zone and Andrews dropped the ball. It will be one of those moments in infamy in the history of the NFL. Nothing to take away poorly from Lamar Jackson that a really good game did fumble once. Clearly the turnovers were the difference in the game for the Ravens. If you watch this game seemed to be the only reason why they lost this game. But Josh Allen will start with him. Quarterback of the Buffalo Bills talked about it coming down to that one play in the end that made the difference.
00:54That seemed to be the game's defining play.
00:59Yeah, obviously understanding the flow of the game there and knowing that if we got points there, whether it's three or six, you know, it made it a full one score game where they had to go for two. That's why like on that fourth and two, obviously we elected to kick, give us give us our defense a chance to go out there and and play. You know, we made a play there at the end. I'm just so proud of our guys.
01:24And now that you're headed to the AFC championship game, you know, it's it's what we've worked for is an opportunity to play another week. You know, we don't want our our season to end on a loss. And this gives us an opportunity to keep going. But we'll enjoy this one. You know, lots of learn from from this one. Obviously wasn't wasn't pretty. But these these playoff games, you got to win by one. That's all that matters.
01:47Sure seemed like defense and turnover is a big part of all the games this weekend in the NFL. John Harbaugh's Ravens, one of the best teams at not turning the ball over, but he talked about after the game doing it more than they fully expected going in.
02:00We have not been a team that turns the ball over. I'm proud of our guys. We did a great job with that all year. We didn't turn it over this game. But, you know, you got to try to go make the next next score in the next play. And that's that's what you that's what I judge it on. And we look at battle security. We look at all the details and techniques and certain things like that. Of course, but but really the mark is if you don't make a judgment, you don't make an evaluation. That's what you make it on. Okay, so what happens next?
02:26We come back, we fight, we go all the way down the field and we score. I mean, that's that's that's the answer that our team makes. I'm concerned about our team, you know, and that's the answer that our team made. That's why I'm so proud of these guys. That's why I tell him I love him. I love him. I'm proud of him. I have nothing but admiration for him in every single way. And and this is how I feel about it.
02:47Ravens were a one point favorite. Of course, the bills end up covering in a very close game. Meanwhile, so was the situation with the Eagles and Rams. If you bet that game early in the week, or even the day before, the Eagles were six point favorites, but the line did climb six and a half, seven, seven and a half, depending on how you bet it really was the outcome of this 128 to 22.
03:08What was the story in this one? Two different players. First, of course, was Saquon Barkley, who had a monster game, almost 200 yards rushing. But really, the difference in the game were fumbles. The Rams turned the ball over a couple of different times, including Kyron Williams, putting the ball on the ground. Weather was also an impact in this one, just like it was in Buffalo. Head coach Nick Seriani talked about the snow factor in the game and Philly coming out on top.
03:32Yeah, it affects us, especially as that as the field continues to to gather snow. I think, you know, it neutralizes things that, you know, it has an effect on the game. And we were able to protect the ball and we were able to force some turnovers, you know, in the midst of it. We've had we had some great individual efforts.
03:54And, yeah, of course, that plays a part of it. But everything plays a part of it. Right. Every you know, that's why we we take advantage of when we can go outside, you know, and be out there in the elements. And, you know, because every little thing matters. And the conditions got sloppy today and we all had to play in it and we found a way.
04:19And the Eagles will host the NFC Championship game next Sunday at three o'clock Eastern. The Rams season for them comes to an end. Very emotional coach, Sean McVay, afterward getting really choked up about the fact that they had to go through so much to get to this point, including displacing all their families due to the wildfires.
04:37Love this group. And I'm just really sad that this journey is over. This was a special season. It's as much fun as I've had as much as you've ever wanted to do right for the people in that locker room. We've had a lot of special teams, but this team, there was something really special about them. And I think I'm up here pretty shocked because I know a lot of people didn't believe we could come in here.
04:58But we had the full expectation to come in here. And I don't think anybody ever really expected the end of the season to be right now. And the finality of it is tough for me to swallow because of the love and appreciation that I have for this group. But like I said, you know, you give Philly credit. They did their thing, made enough plays and obviously Saquon was excellent today. And I think the two turnovers were really costly, but I'm not gonna make any excuses. And I'm proud of our team.
05:25And Matthew Stafford, by the way, after the game said that he's not going to talk about his future playing in the NFL, but did say that he felt like he still had some more good football to play. Meanwhile, the biggest surprise of the weekend, unless you, of course, listen to me here on Newswire, the Washington commanders going to Detroit and not just covering but winning the game outright. Washington is headed to the NFC Championship three o'clock Eastern five and a half point underdogs.
05:53They will be that again when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles. But who's to say at this point they can't win at all. 45 points on the road at Detroit. A really impressive performance. One of the biggest upsets in divisional history and unfortunately came at the expense of Dan Campbell, who was certainly emotional after the loss.
06:10You lose these games, man. It's like the players, you know. What they put into it.
06:25What people don't know. You know what they go through. You have to get up. Bodies beach. You know, mentally stay locked in and do those things. So long season.
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09:50We're seeing the governor come out and in his proposed budget include doubling the tax
09:55rate, to your point, from 15% to 30%.
09:58And this is something we've seen in other states in the past, including Illinois last
10:02year.
10:03They went from 15% to a tiered system based on revenue from 20% to 40%.
10:08So the more you make, the more you get taxed.
10:12The year before that, just shortly after it launched, Ohio's governor, Mike DeWine, put
10:16in his budget, another doubling from 10% to 20%.
10:20So they're still reasonable.
10:22But both of those passed the legislator when they went through the budget.
10:26And this is kind of where you look at Maryland, similar to how we've talked about Illinois's
10:30online casino proposal this year in the budget, which JB Pritzker did, Wes Moore is facing
10:37a $3 billion deficit in Maryland.
10:39So from that, you see this tax rate and say, hmm, maybe we do need to up it to get some
10:45more revenue from this tool that they instituted, mostly to gain more tax revenue.
10:51So that's where you're looking at Maryland.
10:53Does it pass?
10:54We're going to see.
10:55This is kind of, you know, it has to go through the whole entire legislative process, get
10:59passed from the House, get passed from the Senate.
11:03There's going to be lots of talking about it.
11:04Who knows if they actually bring this up?
11:06This could be one of the things that gets put in the budget that just kind of slips
11:09through and isn't even really talked about.
11:12What also is interesting with that $3 billion deficit, is there more of an appetite for
11:17the online casino bill that we've seen introduced in Maryland, which of course last year passed
11:23the House, fell kind of on deaf ears in the Senate.
11:27Could this $3 billion deficit and this tax rate hike say, hey, maybe this gambling is
11:32a way to bring in more revenue.
11:34Let's do this because we have a lot of money to make up in Maryland.
11:38So yeah, the tax rate, who knows, could be something that slips through.
11:42And then also it could have implications on the online casino bill there in Maryland as
11:46well.
11:47Yeah.
11:48Yeah.
11:49Speaking of online casinos, finally, we're getting a new sports betting bill in Mississippi,
11:53a topic we've talked about a number of times here on the show.
11:55A sports betting has been legal in Mississippi for many years, one of the first states to
12:00legalize sports betting and actually put it into action.
12:03Now they're trying to get it online.
12:05It's the same conversation we've had for several years.
12:08I close my eyes and I picture Robert De Niro in casino walking through and getting these
12:14people on the phone saying, nope, nope, we don't want it.
12:17Nope, we don't want it.
12:18I mean, because in the end, the casinos are going to potentially be hurt by having online
12:24betting because then you don't actually have to go to the Beaurevage or anywhere else to
12:28bet on sports.
12:29And look, I don't have any information that that is actually accurate, that these casinos
12:34are going to be blocking it, Pat.
12:35But if I had to guess, that's my conspiracy theory is that the casinos themselves, they
12:41don't stand to benefit from this.
12:42Yeah.
12:43And that's really where it comes down to.
12:45I mean, it did pass back in 2018 to have in-person sports books at the casinos in 2018.
12:50That's one of the first states to legalize.
12:53And since then, the lawmakers have been trying to, or at least some lawmakers have been trying
12:58to introduce online casino and take it statewide.
13:01And yeah, the appetite from a lot of the casinos in Mississippi are not there.
13:06Of course, the big operators, the Caesars, the MGMs of the world, they're fine with it.
13:11They want online casino and that's where a lot of this kind of back and forth is.
13:15And to your point, the locally owned smaller companies that are fearful of the competition
13:21and cannibalization of that in-person casino revenue are saying to their local legislators,
13:29no, don't pass this.
13:30We don't want this.
13:32We want to keep all the money in our sports books in person.
13:36And so that's what you're fighting.
13:37This year was kind of a give and go of, is this going to happen another attempt to go
13:42online?
13:43You know, the Senate chair of the gaming commission came out or gaming committee came out and
13:48said, you know, unless the Mississippi gaming commission tells me to put in a bill to go
13:52online, I'm not going to do it.
13:53And the gaming commission said, well, we don't say whether or not to do bills.
13:57So the Senate was kind of just not going to do anything.
14:00We do have a house bill that was introduced at the beginning of the session to take it
14:04online that will be heard in the house gaming committee.
14:08So it could pass the house.
14:10Does it pass the Senate?
14:11If it passes the house again, it's all the legislative process.
14:15That's why we watch.
14:16That's why I watch it.
14:17So everybody that listens here or reads LSR can find out what's happening.
14:22It hasn't passed since 2018, as we've seen over and over again, this online expansion
14:27bill try to get through is 2025.
14:31Any different?
14:32Who knows?
14:33I mean, we look at the Southeast and what's happening.
14:35Alabama's been trying for years to pass just a lottery bill and they can't.
14:40Georgia's been past trying to pass some sports betting for years can't, you know, so the
14:45Southeast is you've got that little population of adamantly morally against casino.
14:52So I think even though Mississippi has a great gambling culture with all their riverboat
14:57casinos.
14:58I don't know if the online expansion can garner enough momentum and to break through that
15:03this year.
15:05So we're going to watch it carefully and let you know as it as it develops, Craig.
15:10Yeah, I'd bet against that.
15:11Speaking of which, betting against it every year would have worked.
15:16But speaking of riverboat gambling, is there a chance that Indiana could be the next state
15:21to have that going here?
15:22I know that there's a new house bill that's been filed to try to push this through.
15:25Yeah, you know, Indiana is such an interesting case in this online casino expansion world.
15:31You know, they were long considered one of the best candidates to be one of the first
15:36online casino states.
15:38I mean, at least trailing the first couple, you know, we've got seven online casino states,
15:43at least in that next round afterwards.
15:45And then we've had this little conspiracy situation that, you know, last year in 2023
15:51Sean Eberhardt pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit, you know, kind of a fraud situation.
15:57You know, he said he would try to make things easier on a casino company in exchange for
16:04a future job.
16:05Well, that got caught.
16:06He pleaded guilty.
16:07Then in 2023, heading into the 2024 session, Senate leadership said, whoa, we're not going
16:13to handle any gambling issues.
16:16This is bad.
16:17The public has probably lost trust in us to handle this issue.
16:20So last year, there was really no talk about anything.
16:23You know, the industry said, we're going to go hands off on Indiana for a little bit because
16:26yeah, this is not a great situation.
16:28We don't want any funny business going on.
16:30We want to be above board and make sure everything's legitimate and well, you know, documented and
16:35all that jazz.
16:37Well, now another year removed, we've got a new bill to take a casino online in Indiana.
16:43Again, kind of, we're just going to have to watch because, you know, well, four years
16:49ago, this might have been a better case scenario with a lot of momentum from other legalization
16:54of online casino.
16:55Now, again, as I've said multiple times coming on here, there's lots of headwinds against
17:00online gambling.
17:01So who knows, you know, what kind of legislators are going to heed that and say, well, we're
17:05not going to touch this for another couple of years still and let everything kind of
17:09shake out.
17:10So at least it's back on the discussion board in Indiana.
17:13Does it make any moves?
17:15We'll watch and carefully and keep you updated, Craig, but I'm not exactly hopeful that that
17:20gets anything done this year.
17:21All right.
17:22Great stuff, Pat, as always here on the show.
17:24Enjoy the rest of your week.
17:25I'm sure we'll catch up soon.
17:26Thanks for coming on Newswire.
17:27Thanks as always, Craig.
17:28Talk to you soon.