Two US lawmakers are working to introduce federal legislation for online sports betting

Since the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May 2018, sports betting has grown every year in the US. States with legal online and retail sports betting are benefitting from the revenue they’re able to collect. While sports betting is booming, there is a disparity in regulations from state to state. That is why two US lawmakers are working to introduce federal legislation for online sports betting. US Representative Paul Tonko and US Senator Richard Blumenthal announced their plans to create a federal legislation to be used in every state. This was announced on Tuesday, September 10, and there will be a press conference on Thursday, September 12 to discuss the ideas for the proposed bill.

The press conference is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. EST On Thursday and will be streamed live from Paul Tonko’s X account. This ensures that stakeholders and the general public have a chance to view what is being discussed. At the conference, they’re going to bring up valuable insights into the forthcoming legislation. Representative Paul Tonko has worked in the past to create federal legislation for sports betting. Tonko has tried on two separate occasions to introduce legislation but hasn’t had any success. Now, he has the help of US Senator Richard Blumenthal to execute their plan.

What are the main factors of the proposed federal legislation?

Previously, Representative Paul Tonko proposed the Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet (SAFE) Act. The upcoming legislation proposed by Senator Richard Blumenthal and Paul Tonko is expected to be similar to the SAFE Bet Act. They’re going to tackle several areas of concern within the online sports betting industry. Attending the press conference on Thursday will be representatives from the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law. This highlights the bill’s focus on public health and consumer protection. One of the main takeaways from Paul Tonko’s SAFE Bet Act was the outline of measures to tackle problem gambling. Additionally, he wanted to limit the vocabulary used in sports betting ads and when they can be aired on television. There were also limits on users being allowed to make just five deposits per day. Finally, Tonko wanted a self-exclusion list created nationwide for problem gamblers.