NFL commissioner wants Congress involved in sports betting
By admin - 2018-05-21 16:11:47

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says that while the league is taking steps to expand legalized sports betting in the U.S., he’d like Congress to create uniform standards to keep the practice in check.

According to ESPN, in a statement Monday Goodell said it should be the role of Congress to enact guidelines that “at a minimum” ensure consumer protections through law enforcement and protect the league’s intellectual property.

“We are asking Congress to enact uniform standards for the states that choose to legalized sports betting that include, at a minimum, four core principles: 1. There must be substantial consumer protections; 2. Sports leagues can protect our content and intellectual property from those who attempt to steal or misuse it; 3. Fans will have access to official, reliable league data; and 4. Law enforcement will have the resources, monitoring and enforcement tools necessary to protect our fans and penalize bad actors here and abroad,” Goodell said in the statement.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that a 1992 federal law prohibiting most states from authorizing legalized sports betting violated constitutional principles limiting the federal government from controlling state policy, unconstitutionally forcing states to prohibit sports betting under their own laws. The landmark decision paves the way for states to decide whether to legalize sports betting.

New Jersey and Delaware are expected to begin offering legal sports betting in June, with more states poised to follow suit by football season.