NCAA pushes for ban

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) opposes legalisation efforts.

US.- The sports betting industry legalisation debate becomes more serious each day as the US Supreme Court gets closer to releasing a final resolution. This week the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) expressed its opposition to the NBA and MLB’s efforts to change stance on sports betting and support a potential legalisation for sports leagues.

“The NCAA opposes all forms of legal and illegal sports wagering which has the potential to undermine the integrity of sports contests and jeopardises the welfare of student-athletes and the intercollegiate athletics community,” confirmed the association in a statement published yesterday.

Last week both the NBA and Major League Baseball hired the Senate Finance Committee’s former chairman Stephen Alves to lobby on their behalf, and have presented a legislative project in case the US Supreme Court’s resolution favours New Jersey’s demand. The NBA also demanded a 1 per cent fee should sports betting operations be approved in different states.

New Jersey is currently in a legal battle against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. Major professional sports leagues are opposed to the state’s attempt to legalise sports betting. With over 18 states willing to introduce new legislation to regulate the market, New Jersey has taken the case to the US Supreme Court, which is expected to set a resolution next month. Under current legislation, sports betting is banned federal-wide, except in four states – Nevada, Oregon, Delaware and Montana – as they were already offering some variation of sports lotteries back in 1992 when PASPA (the Act against sports betting) was approved.