Closing the stable door?

With increasing numbers of US states exercising their authority to legalise sports betting in the wake of May’s Supreme Court ruling that it falls within states’ rights, it seems a little strange for Congress to rather belatedly display any interest in getting involved in the already booming liberalised vertical, yet individual congressman continue to make noises about setting a framework (see previous  reports).

The latest of these is Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner who has let it be known that he has written (a little tardily?) to the Department of Justice seeking clarification of its stance on sports betting.

Sensenbrenner chairs the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations, and has suggested Congress must act ‘in some way’ following the Supreme Court’s repeal of the restrictive federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act earlier this year.

Our readers will recall that many expert witnesses unequivocally rebuffed the idea of an ill-informed Congress interfering in an already efficient and well-regulated sector at the September hearings of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on sports betting, with both the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the American Gaming Association hardly mincing their words in rejecting the need for Congressional involvement.

The hearing appeared to achieve little, but Sensenbrenner refers to it in his letter to Justice, writing:

“After hearing from a panel of experts representing a broad range of positions related to sports betting, it is clear Congress has work to do to ensure the public is protected, and any potential for exploitation by criminals is minimised in this post-PASPA era.

“To protect the American public and limit the ability of nefarious organisations from exploiting internet gambling, I believe Congress will develop a legislative response to the issues created by the Supreme Court’s decision striking down PASPA.”

Related and similar