Utah Senator Rails Against Current State of Sports Betting in America

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is none too pleased with the current status of regulated sports betting in America and wants to the federal government to do something about it.
Hatch made his beef with sports betting known in a speech to the US Senate late last week. During his oration, the Senator from the Beehive State made it clear that leaving the determination regarding legalizing sports betting to the states was a bad idea. He further suggested that federal government needs to implement, “a set of fundamental, federal standards that will protect the integrity of the games, that will protect consumers and the sports wagering market.”
In his effort to protect the integrity of the game, Hatch promised to offer his own sports betting bill during the next Congress in the fall.
Whether a piece of legislation like this could pick up any steam at all is an open question given the other issue Congress has on its hands this fall including protecting the integrity of US elections; addressing the immigration crisis and separated families; as well as potential issues surround Trump himself. Legislation like this is especially uncertain when it’s presented by a lame duck Senator like Hatch. (Hatch is retiring at the end of the fall session.)
It’s also further worth noting that Hatch represents a district in a state that currently offers no forms of legalized gambling, including a lottery. There is zero chance that any constituent of the good Senator’s would ever live in a district that was impacted in any way by regulated sports betting.
Hatch offered no hints of what the current status of his sports betting legislation is at this moment.