AGA rails against federal sports betting framework
Association calls Schumer proposals unwarranted in six-page letter
The American Gaming Association (AGA) has criticised Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer’s proposals for a federal framework governing sports betting in the US.
In a six-page letter, Sara Slane, senior vice president of public affairs for the AGA, wrote that effective regulation of sports betting “can best be achieved through law enforcement oversight and robust state regulation. AGA firmly believes that additional federal engagement is not warranted at this time”.
In August, Schumer offered his interpretation of sports betting regulation in a document entitled ‘Protecting the Games We Love After Murphy v. NCAA’, which called for a unified federal standard which would “protect consumers and the sports games themselves from corruption.”
Schumer reduced the issue to three component parts: protecting the integrity of the game, and the protection of consumers and individuals placing bets, protecting young people, and those suffering from gambling addiction.
Several US sporting associations, including the NBA, NFL and PGA, all voiced their support for the proposals, which obligate sports betting providers to use official league data only and give the leagues the final say on what bets can be taken.
At the time, the AGA dismissed federal oversight in the years prior to the repeal of PASPA saying it “was an abject failure for 26 years only contributing to a thriving illegal market with no consumer protections and safeguards.”
In its latest letter, the AGA proposes an alternative framework which while broadly similar to the one proposed by Schumer, has no role for the federal government, instead entrusting regulation of sport betting to state and tribal authorities, which already provide “significant, effective regulatory oversight.”
Slane added: “Bringing sports betting activity into a transparent legal market, under state and tribal regulatory oversight, empowers law enforcement to tackle illegal gambling, provides essential consumer protection and better ensures bet and game integrity. It will also create new American jobs and generate additional local, state and federal tax revenue.”