The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act may have fallen, but its demise hasn’t signaled the end of potential federal intervention into sports betting.
As the US continues to embrace legalized sports betting, there is one subject that continues to polarize opinion like no other: the prospect of federal oversight of the business.
Supporters of federal intervention argue that it would secure integrity for US sport and lead to a unified code of practice with sportsbooks required to use only official data from the professional leagues. Those against such a move contend that sports wagering has already demonstrated its ability to self-regulate, citing years of trouble-free sportsbook action in Nevada to illustrate a business that has its house in order.
The controversial subject will be given a high-profile airing at what is being billed as the biggest sports betting event of the year: Betting on Sports America. The event, scheduled for April 23-25 at the Meadowlands Convention Center in New Jersey, will present 175 industry speakers across 40 sessions. A panel has been assembled to debate and discuss in more detail exactly what the implications might be for operators in a sports betting space governed by federal policy makers.
Among the scheduled speakers is Dustin Gouker, a journalist and industry expert and the Head of Content at Catena Media. He believes that federal intervention might be welcome, but only in chasing down illegal operators.
“I definitely believe the federal government has a role to play in helping to curtail operators serving the US market illegally,” Gouker told SBC. “Resources at the state level to combat competition from offshore are pretty minimal. Any discussion of the federal government’s involvement in sports betting should start there. Without federal enforcement, you’re just adding a layer of bureaucracy and regulation that potentially makes it more difficult for legal sportsbooks to compete with illegal ones.”
Talking about the potential problems associated with federal oversight and the recent pro-regulation bill sponsored by Senators Orrin Hatch and Chuck Schumer, Gouker noted: “My biggest issue is that, outside of tribal gaming and horse racing, the federal government has pretty much stayed out of the business of regulating gambling.
“Gaming (is) a state issue, and the federal government suddenly getting intimately involved in how a certain type of gaming goes down does not seem like a great idea to me. If Congress had acted before the PASPA repeal, that could have been a positive. By the time Congress gets around to actually considering this (Hatch/Schumer) bill, a lot of states will have sports betting laws already on the books. Retroactively trying to fit those laws into a federal framework is less than ideal.”
Turning to Betting on Sports America, Gouker said his main message to delegates is that “… integrity as it relates to sports betting is an important issue, but it didn’t just become an issue because of the PASPA repeal. There’s been legal betting in Nevada and in Europe and other markets for a long time (and) no shortage of offshore sites where you can easily place a bet if you’re an American.
“Everyone should be looking at legalization and regulation in the US as an opportunity to improve integrity monitoring and cooperation. The worst thing you could do for integrity is let the status quo prevail of limited sports betting options in the US. With the black market, we have almost no insight publicly into what’s going on as far as markets, or who is placing bets and for how much. Moving betting to regulated markets – in a way that is affordable for operators – should be everyone’s goal with respect to integrity.”
Betting on Sports America is the largest sports betting conference & exhibition and will present 175 leading industry speakers across 40 sessions and 3 conference rooms. The 61,000 sq ft large exhibition will bring delegates 60 exhibitors, world class hospitality, and the very best networking and business opportunities. For more information or to get tickets please CLICK HERE.
