AGA addresses sports betting priorities
The association wrote a letter to the Congress in order to reiterate the industry’s top priorities in the sports betting debate.
US.- The American Gaming Association (AGA) wrote a letter to federal lawmakers in which its President and CEO Geoff Freeman reiterated the top priorities in the debate on how to create a successful legal sports betting market in the United States.
Following the US Supreme Court decision to lift the federal sports betting ban, the casino industry in the United States is getting ready to build the world’s most secure and successful system. AGA is ready to work with all stakeholders that share the commitment to eliminate the vast illegal gaming market as the legal, regulated sports betting expands across the country.
“In the wake of the Court’s ruling, some have called for Congress to enact a federal framework to regulate sports betting. AGA believes this is unwise, unnecessary and out of step with public sentiment, indicating 7 in 10 Americans think this decision should be left to each state, not the federal government,” said Freeman in the letter to Congress.
“States have proven to be effective gaming regulators in the 26 years since Congress passed PASPA. As Congress has refrained from regulating lotteries, slot machines, table games and other gambling products, it should similarly refrain from engaging in sports wagering barring an identifiable problem that warrants federal attention.”
AGA said that more than 40 states and 260 jurisdictions have proven to be effective gaming regulators and that the association will be a resource to state policymakers and regulators as they consider sports betting legalization. AGA will also combat any attempts by the federal government to neuter state regulatory power.
Moreover, AGA will promote strong consumer protections and consumer-centric conveniences such as intrastate mobile wagering. It also asked to strengthen game integrity: “New technologies make it possible to track legal wagering and identify suspicious activities. The gaming industry supports establishing a national data repository to share any suspicious betting information with law enforcement, gaming regulators and sporting bodies.”
The creation of a self-regulatory model to guide sports betting advertising is also in plans for AGA, as it believes that promoting responsible gaming and advertising is key to safe regulations. Encouraging contracts over statuses is the last priority detailed by the American Gaming Association, noting that the gaming industry supports strong contracts between these parties to address issues such as data and the value of other activities. The gaming industry will vigorously oppose efforts to use federal or state legislation to set basic business terms.
