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Odds are that biggest effect of a bipartisan bill to regulate sports gambling in the United States will be that a lot more people will get a piece of the action.
The U.S. Supreme Court let the Sports Betting genie out of the bottle earlier this year when it said a federal law that prevented states from reconsidering their sports gambling bans was unconstitutional.
Nine states have subsequently legalized sports gambling, which means big paydays for casinos there and more gambling tax revenue for those states. Similar moves are pending in several other states.
In Oklahoma, legalizing sports gambling got some talk at the Capitol last year, and it will again when new legislators shows up at the Capitol in a few months. The issue might get pushed to 2020 when the state’s tribal compacts are due to be renewed, but maybe sooner. After all, there’s a lot of sports gambling money on the line for the tribes and, through the compacts, for the state.
It’s not surprising that Congress wanted in on the jackpot.
According to The Associated Press, the bipartisan legislation offered by Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Orrin Hatch of Utah would allow states to legalize gambling on a wide range of sports, including pro sports, the Olympics and college sports. Other amateur sports would be off limits. So, you wouldn’t be able to bet on your kid’s Little League game at the local casino.
The bill instructs the U.S. Justice Department to set up minimum standards for states allowing sports gambling, creates a nationwide self-exclusion list for problem gamblers and provides funding for problem gambling treatment programs. That would be paid for with a gambling tax. Hey, more money for the federal government!
The bill would also require sports wagering operators to use data provided or licensed by professional sports leagues. Look! Licensing fees for the NFL and all the other leagues.
The bill is silent — for now — on one hotly debated issue, integrity fees. All the important professional sports leagues want the fees, which they say would allow them to protect the good name of their games ... and, not coincidentally, give them more of the gambling revenue.
As the bill moves along, you can count on heavy lobbying from the leagues and the casinos for and against an integrity fee mandate. Members of Congress are certainly counting on the political donations that just thinking about it will generate.
Odds are that biggest effect of a bipartisan bill to regulate sports gambling in the United States will be that a lot more people will get a piece of the action.
The U.S. Supreme Court let the Sports Betting genie out of the bottle earlier this year when it said a federal law that prevented states from reconsidering their sports gambling bans was unconstitutional.
Nine states have subsequently legalized sports gambling, which means big paydays for casinos there and more gambling tax revenue for those states. Similar moves are pending in several other states.
In Oklahoma, legalizing sports gambling got some talk at the Capitol last year, and it will again when new legislators shows up at the Capitol in a few months. The issue might get pushed to 2020 when the state’s tribal compacts are due to be renewed, but maybe sooner. After all, there’s a lot of sports gambling money on the line for the tribes and, through the compacts, for the state.
It’s not surprising that Congress wanted in on the jackpot.
According to The Associated Press, the bipartisan legislation offered by Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Orrin Hatch of Utah would allow states to legalize gambling on a wide range of sports, including pro sports, the Olympics and college sports. Other amateur sports would be off limits. So, you wouldn’t be able to bet on your kid’s Little League game at the local casino.
The bill instructs the U.S. Justice Department to set up minimum standards for states allowing sports gambling, creates a nationwide self-exclusion list for problem gamblers and provides funding for problem gambling treatment programs. That would be paid for with a gambling tax. Hey, more money for the federal government!
The bill would also require sports wagering operators to use data provided or licensed by professional sports leagues. Look! Licensing fees for the NFL and all the other leagues.
The bill is silent — for now — on one hotly debated issue, integrity fees. All the important professional sports leagues want the fees, which they say would allow them to protect the good name of their games ... and, not coincidentally, give them more of the gambling revenue.
As the bill moves along, you can count on heavy lobbying from the leagues and the casinos for and against an integrity fee mandate. Members of Congress are certainly counting on the political donations that just thinking about it will generate.
