A Congressional hearing is due to take place next week in the US capital to examine whether a federal framework is required for Sports Betting across the country.
The hearing, entitled ‘An Examination of Sports Betting in America’ was scheduled by a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigation for Thursday, 27th September 2018 in Washington, DC.
Delaware, Mississippi, New Jersey and West Virginia have joined Nevada in offering sports wagering since the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) overturned the federal ban on sports betting in May and a number of other states are in the process of launching regulatory processes.
Jim Sensenbrenner, the Subcommittee Chairman, commented that his subcommittee will look at the implications of this SCOTUS ruling and talk about what it means for the integrity of sports and what sorts of improper or illicit activities could arise.
Sensenbrenner added that they want to determine whether or not a basic federal framework is necessary to guide states’ new gambling policies.
Chuck Schumer, the US Senate Minority Leader, last month put forward a proposal for nationwide regulations to cover the sector.
Schumer not only suggested that sports wagering should only be open to those aged 21 and over and that sportsbooks should adopt responsible advertising policies and report suspicious activities, but also said that only official league data should be used so as to enable the sports properties to benefit from a lucrative new revenue stream.
The American Gaming Association (AGA) is strongly opposed to such a framework with its Senior Vice-President Sara Slane saying that her organization is looking forward to “discussing the US gaming industry’s core principles for legalized sports betting with the Judiciary Committee at this week’s hearing”.