US States Wish to Assert Their Sports Betting Regulation Position

Everyone could have guessed that, as soon as the US Supreme Court lifted the long-standing ban preventing the legalization of sports betting, there would also be problems brewing in the midst of nation-wide euphoria. The legislative decision in favor of New Jersey started a domino effect with all states now permitted to take their fate into their own hands. However, some of the major sports leagues and organizations in the US are of the opinion that sports betting should be governed and regulated not by individual states, but by the federal government.

Understandably, this doesn’t sit well with the representatives of the states who are willing to assert their position as the makers of their own destiny when it comes to legalizing and governing sports wagering within their borders. The regulators in Nevada, Michigan, Massachusetts and Louisiana issued a statement last week saying that the real way to protect sports integrity is a “coordinated action among jurisdictions” – not federal regulation.

“Sports betting in Nevada has already been regulated with integrity and success, and gaming jurisdictions across the United States, including tribal jurisdictions, have demonstrated their ability to oversee gaming of all sorts while adhering to the highest standards,” according to part of the t statement.

Sporting leagues in the US, on the other hand, worry that the states are rushing and moving too quickly to sports betting legislations. Most of the professional leagues were against the authorization and for the continued prohibition, due to fears that this new change could seriously affect the integrity, fairness and dignity of the sport.

Therefore, organizations such as the NBA, MLB and PGA requested an integrity fee, which would be the cut of all bets placed on their games. This has been rejected (though it has been adopted in New Jersey) and since then, leagues have started appealing to the Congress. NBA’s Commissioner, Adam Silver, said: “The next move is to work on a federal level to try to get Congress to adopt a national framework. That would be our preference.”

Source:

“Group Of Gaming Regulators Slam Leagues’ Plan To Get Fees From US Sports Betting”, Candee Adam, legalsportsreport.com, May 28, 2018.