The American Gaming Association is embracing regulated sports betting with the introduction of a new set of policy principles surrounding the topic.
This is a major step forward for North America’s most powerful gambling lobby and reflects their newfound confidence that the longtime US sports betting ban is coming to an end.
The four policy principles from the AGA are pretty straightforward and are as follows:
1. Defer to states regarding the desirability of regulating sports betting as all forms of casino wagering.
2. Ensure the integrity of sports betting and sports through state licensing and regulation.
3. Make all sports betting businesses transparent to law enforcement.
4. Ensure a tax regime does not undermine regulated sports betting operations’ ability to compete against illegal offshore operators.
What’s interesting about these principles is that they leave the onus of regulation on the states, not the Feds. This is a major departure from what any of the major sporting leagues have indicated that they would be willing to work with. The leagues would prefer to see a federal model because they’re not interested in navigating separate regulatory issues in each of the 50 states.
AGA President and CEO, Geoff Freeman expressed his organization’s confidence that the US sports betting ban would be lifted by 2020 saying:
The stars are aligning to finally repeal this failing law – the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). At a time when Washington remains deeply divided, sports betting has the support of Americans of all political stripes.
The principles are designed to be a guideline and starting point for operators and lawmakers and are not tied to any specific, pending legislation.