By Paul Nicholson
May 15 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday (Monday) that the federal law banning sports betting was unconstitutional, paving the way for the legalisation of sports betting across the US.
Previously only licensed in Nevada, the end of PASPA (The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act) in effect fired a starting gun for the legal betting industry and its operators to open up the biggest sports market in the world to the betting business.
Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) CEO Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros said: “The US Supreme Court’s ruling is a game-changer for sports betting in the US. It must also be a game-changer for sports betting integrity.”
It is estimated that $150 billion a year is spent on illegal sports betting in the US with much of the proceeds ending up in the hands of organised crime gangs. Now individual states will have the opportunity to license, regulate and collect taxes in the market, rather than watching betting money and gamblers driven to underground and illegal operations.
Nevada Gaming Control Board’s (NGCB) Chief Enforcement Division, Karl Bennison commented: “The Nevada Gaming Control Board is the gold standard for legal, regulated sports betting. For decades, Nevada has been the only jurisdiction to offer a full range of sports betting options to the public. Nevada has proven that our model is not only successful, but stands the test of time.
“The Nevada Gaming Control Board supports the Supreme Court decision striking down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. In the coming months, as individual states decide whether or not to authorize legalized sports betting, and embark on establishing their own regulatory frameworks, the Nevada Gaming Control Board looks forward to acting as a resource and sharing our model with other jurisdictions.”
The NGCB is a Committed Supporter of SIGA which has long championed the need for robust regulation of the sports betting market worldwide and has developed its own Universal Standards on Sports Betting Integrity. Last week it held its SIGA Expert Summit on Sports Betting Integrity in Porto, Portugal.
“The upcoming SIGA Sport Integrity Forum, to be hosted by the United Nations in Geneva on July 26, will address the full range of consequences of the PASPA repeal and the existing best practice on sports betting regulation,” said Medeiros.
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