A bill that would have the federal government regulate sports betting nationwide has been introduced in the U.S. Senate.
Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, and Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah introduce the Sports Wagering Market Integrity Act of 2018 on Wednesday afternoon.
It would have the U.S. Justice Department set minimum standards states must meet in order to offer sports betting.
The eight states that already offer sports betting could still offer it while the Justice Department evaluates their laws.
The bill would not provide so-called "integrity fee" payments to the leagues, but would require that sports wagering operators use data provided or licensed by the leagues.
New Jersey won a U.S. Supreme Court case in May clearing the way for all 50 states to offer legal sports betting.
The American Gaming Association (AGA) released the following statement:
“This bill is the epitome of a solution in search of a problem, representing an unprecedented and inappropriate expansion of federal involvement in the gaming industry, which is currently one of the most strictly regulated in the country,” said Sara Slane, senior vice president of public affairs for the American Gaming Association. “Across the country, nearly 4,000 dedicated public servants already regulate all forms of gaming, including sports wagering, with more than $500 million committed to ensuring the integrity of commercial casinos’ operations and $822 million spent on regulation of tribal gaming in 2015 alone. These state and tribal regulators have decades of experience effectively overseeing gaming operations within their jurisdictions.
“Additional areas this bill seeks to address – including the mandatory use of official league data and the creation of a national sports wagering clearinghouse – can, and should, be decided by marketplace negotiations between private businesses and cooperative agreements among jurisdictions. In the mere six months since the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for legal, regulated sports betting, significant developments on both of these fronts have already occurred without any federal involvement.
“While federal regulation of sports betting will continue to be a non-starter for the gaming industry, we appreciate the sponsors’ recognition that more must be done to curb illegal sports betting operations, which continue to pose the biggest impediment to the success of a legal market that will benefit and protect consumers, sports leagues and casino operators alike.”
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
