US lawmakers Tonko, Blumenthal to introduce federal wagering legislation

The press conference is set for 1pm ET, and will also be streamed live on Tonko’s X page.

Tonko has previously filed two pieces of federal wagering legislation. Both would have put at least some federal framework around legal sports betting, which is a states’ rights issue. The US Supreme Court in May 2018 overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). The act was a federal ban on sports betting.

Within months of the decision, brick-and-mortar casinos in four states were offering in-person sports betting. New Jersey sportsbooks were the first to offer digital betting, starting 6 August 2018. New Jersey governors Chris Christie and then Phil Murphy led the lawsuit that overturned PASPA.

According to a press release, representatives from the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law will be at the press conference. In the spring, Tonko outlined what would be in his Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet (SAFE) Act. The release seems to indicate he will introduce a similar bill.

Ad guidelines, betting limits, more

The proposal that Tonko shared in the spring outlined advertising guidelines, affordability checks and banning AI to track gamblers’ habits.

According to the fact sheet introducing the SAFE Act, certain words would be banned from ads and there would be strict limits on when sports betting companies could advertise on television. The federal wagering legislation would also limit bettors to five deposits per day, ban certain kinds of bets and create a nationwide self-exclusion-list clearinghouse.

Noted, but not highlighted on the fact sheet is that the bill would “establish a general prohibition on sports betting”. It would require states to get permission from the federal government in order to offer legal sports betting.