Utah Senator discusses sports betting

The lawmaker indicated that he will present a new sports betting bill to legalise the industry in the state.

US.- Utah Senator Orrin Hatch has revealed that he will soon introduce a new sports betting bill that would attempt federal regulation of the industry. He said that the bill would provide protections for several segments of the sports betting industry.

“Parts of the legislation I will be proposing are improvements in monitoring and enforcement that will benefit all stakeholders, sportsbooks, regulators, governing bodies and consumers,” said Hatch on the Senate floor late last week. The Senator insisted that he is interested in maintaining the integrity of the game, just as he was when his original bill was passed.

However, back in 1992 Hatch was in favour of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA, which prohibited states from offering sports betting. The ban was finally overturned by the Supreme Court this past May, but prevented the whole country, except Nevada, from benefiting from the gambling modality.

While Hatch is set to retire in January 2019, he is looking to impact the sports betting discussions by introducing a bill that would have major restrains, instead of highlighting the benefits that it could bring to a state that is significantly increasing its sports offering, with new franchises opening in national sports leagues, like the NWSL.

The Congress is set to stop its activities on September 3rd when lawmakers will go on vacation and as a break is necessary because the midterm elections are approaching. After the elections, there will be some time for Congress to discuss its final issues.