Aug 17, 2018 4 min read

Penn National seeks Pa. sports betting permit

Penn National Gaming is the first casino operator in Pennsylvania to apply for a license to offer sports betting in the state, now that regulators cleared it to begin.

Penn National submitted a 107-page application to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Friday.

A gaming board spokesman says Penn National’s application is unlikely to get approval before October. Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey and Mississippi already offer sports betting, and it is expected to start Sept.1 in West Virginia.

Earlier this week, the gaming board approved a set of regulations to allow sports betting to start. Penn National and the other owners of Pennsylvania’s 12 licensed casinos can pay $10 million to operate sports betting in the state.

Pennsylvania lawmakers last year legalized sports betting and slapped a 34 percent tax rate on it.

Larson wins pole for Bristol night race

Kyle Larson won his third pole of the season as he eyes his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the year.

Larson turned a lap at 127.792 mph Friday in qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway. Chase Elliott was second at 127.665.

Kyle Busch was third on a track that he’s mastered throughout his career. Busch will be seeking his eighth Cup victory at Bristol in Saturday night’s race.

Larson calls this his favorite track, but he’s never won here. He believes that could change Saturday night.

“We’ve been close so many times,” Larson said. “I feel like we’ve been second or third and led the most laps here so many times.”

Larson’s chances of winning could depend on whether he can hold off Busch, who already has seven Cup victories at Bristol.

Busch has won six Cup races this year and holds a narrow lead over Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. in the season standings.

Harvick qualified sixth.

Truex didn’t make it out of the second round of qualifying and will start 17th out of 40 cars Saturday. That represents his lowest qualifying position since he started 36th on July 1 at Chicagoland, where he went on to finish fourth.

OSU says Meyer investigation ends Sunday

Ohio State says factfinders investigating coach Urban Meyer’s handling of domestic abuse allegations against a former assistant will deliver a report to university leaders sometime next week.

The school announced Friday that the investigation will wrap up Sunday as planned, and a report will be delivered to the six-person group appointed by trustees to coordinate the probe.

The report will then be shared with trustees in a still-unscheduled executive meeting next week.

Meyer has been on paid leave since Aug. 1, when Ohio State began investigating the superstar coach’s handling of 2015 abuse allegations leveled by the ex-wife of former receivers coach Zach Smith.

Smith, the grandson of former Ohio State coach and Meyer mentor Earle Bruce, was dismissed July 23 after Courtney Smith was granted a domestic-protection order.

In the NFL

After a dismal showing in the first preseason game, Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons found their offensive rhythm Friday.

Ryan guided the Falcons right down the field for a touchdown on their first possession, hooking up with Austin Hooper on a 4-yard scoring pass , and led another impressive drive before calling it a night in a 28-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ryan finished 5 of 7 for 90 yards, looking very much like the quarterback who won the MVP during the 2016 season even though two of his top weapons, receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman, were held out for the second week in a row.