SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The governance of the American Gaming Association (AGA) has reiterated its stance against any proposition of the US government developing a federal framework regulating US sports betting.
Publishing an ‘open letter’ penned by Vice President of Public Affairs Sara Slane to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the AGA stands by its previous declarations that US betting regulation should be sustained by individual states decrees.
Last month, Chuck Schumer, Democratic Party policy lead, put forward an initial proposal for a federal mandate on sports betting, seeking to protect consumers and US sports integrity amid a changing US betting landscape.
In the communication, Slane and AGA governance point to an established network which monitors the casino industry and will further incorporate sports wagering.
“AGA strongly believes no additional federal engagement is needed at this time based on the significant, effective regulatory oversight already in place.
“Across the country, more than 4,000 dedicated public servants effectively regulate the commercial and tribal casino industry, including sports wagering.
“Replacing an already proven regulatory regime with a non-existent and untested federal oversight apparatus would be out of step with 7 in 10 Americans who think this decision should be left to each state and tribe.”
The AGA believes that federal oversight on sports betting will simply slow down-regulated US betting stakeholders progress on eliminating the estimated $150 billion illegal sports wagering market.
It added: “This positive development is widely supported by the American public, gaming operators, law enforcement and policymakers who recognized federal efforts to prohibit sports betting failed. Instead, responsible, legal sports betting operators should supplant the estimated $150 billion illegal market run by offshore websites and corner bookies.
“Even the professional sports leagues that pushed for PASPA to remain intact have now embraced a legal sports betting environment to help drive fan interaction and diminish the risk to game integrity posed by the illegal market.”
The AGA supports Schumer’s commitment to protecting US consumers and maintaining sports integrity standards, however, it believes that this will be best served by ‘robust state regulations’ rather than waiting for Federal engagement.
Working with US stakeholders, the AGA puts forward five guiding principles that should ensure the introduction of a ‘Safe, Successful, Legal Sports Betting Market’ across participating states. The principals include:
- Promotion of responsible gaming and responsible advertising
- Protecting game and market integrity
- Discouraging the enactment of legislative preferences for specific business interests.
- Empowering state and tribal regulation
- Placing consumer protections first
In its conclusion, the AGA declared: “As policy discussions on sports betting progress, AGA is unwavering in our commitment to continuing a constructive dialogue with all stakeholders and we stand ready to serve as a resource for anyone considering statutory or regulatory policies to govern sports betting.”
