Congress to debate federal sports betting framework

Congress will take a closer look at the need for federal sports betting regulation next week, at a special hearing titled “Post-PASPA: An examination of sports betting in America”.

The meeting will take place Thursday at 10am EST, and will feature testimony from the AGA, and potentially the NFL and casino operator Vegas Sands

Representative Jim Sensenbrenner, chair of the hosting subcommittee, said the ultimate goal was to determine whether or not a basic federal framework was necessary to guide states’ new gambling policies.

There have been several ‘false starts’ on federal betting legislation, with the likes or Orrin Hatch and Frank Pallone announcing plans to introduce bills without any progress of note.

AGA vice president Sarah Slaner said she would providing testimony on behalf of the gaming industry, “highlighting our core principles for legalized sports betting”.

The AGA has said previously that states and sovereign tribal nations – not the federal government – are best positioned to regulate and oversee legal sports betting markets.

Conversely the pro leagues have said in the past they support a federal framework for sports betting, including, most recently, plans laid out by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Schumer’s plans however included requirements that betting operators would have to sue ‘official data feeds’ form the pro leagues.