Major sports leagues complain about Iowa bill

Both the NBA and the MLS have voiced their opposition to Iowa’s sports betting bill as the state gets ready for PASPA’s revokation.

US.- Sports betting could be legalised nationwide soon as the Supreme Court of the United States is set to rule in a New Jersey case, causing the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) to get revoked. That’s why states are getting their regulation ready beforehand, but Iowa has startled major sports leagues in the country.

Both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Major League Baseball (MLB) have strongly questioned a so-called “integrity fee” provision in the bill. Both reminded of the House Study Bill 592, which fell short on safety nets that will protect the integrity of sports betting.

However, the Iowa Gaming Association replied by accusing the NBA and the MLB of merely demanding for major league sports fees: “It would kill sports betting in any state,”said Wes Ehrecke, president of the Iowa Gaming Association.

According to Mr Ehrecke, the 1 per cent fee on gross amount of money bet would take 20 per cent of the remainder of the funds after the pot money had been paid out. Furthermore, he said that “about 95 perc ent of the money wagered would be returned to the gamblers, while the remaining 5 per cent would be divided among the state, federal taxes, overhead expenses, and a small share of profits for casinos and community groups.”

He also said: “It is unfortunate there wouldn’t be a good partnership with all the leagues, because they will benefit from people watching games and betting on games, but there certainly doesn’t need to be an integrity fee.”