Sports betting makes its case in New York

Several stakeholders spoke before New York state senators and voiced their opinions on sports betting.

US.- Potential revocation of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992 has nearly every state in the US discussing the best way to adopt sports betting. That’s why several segment stakeholders spoke before New York state senators about the best ways to embrace the activity should it be legalised.

Last Wednesday, the New York Senate Standing Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering held an informational hearing about the segment’s potential. Speakers for the NBA, racing, William Hill and even casinos stood before lawmakers and defended their positions as they wait for the Supreme Court to rule on the New Jersey case that may bring PASPA down.

Dan Spillane, assistant legal counsel for the NBA, called for a federal integration of sports betting legislation, and stood by an Indiana proposal of having each league receive one per cent of every bet placed. Genius Sports general counsel Tom Russell supported NBA’s stance, while racing stakeholders voiced their concerns about being eventually left out of sports betting.

William Hill CEO Joe Asher’s position consisted of a major rebuttal of the one per cent issue as he believes no state should pay an integrity fee since it’s merely a way of getting a cut of the pie, and major leagues are in no need of fresh money.

Tioga Downs Casino General Manager Scott Freeman also made his case to have sports betting limited to casinos. He claimed that, if gaming venues get the sports betting monopoly, they would overcome the disappointing results showed so far.