NFL invited to testify in front of congress on sports betting
By admin - 2018-06-20 06:20:20

The NFL has been invited to testify at a hearing on sports betting to be held by the House Judiciary Committee later this month, ESPN reports.

The hearing, tentatively scheduled for June 26, comes six weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, the federal mandate that restricted state-sponsored sports betting to several states, was unconstitutional. The law previously allowed only the state of Nevada to accept bets on single games.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has reportedly announced that he is currently creating legislation aimed at protecting the integrity of sports. Citing unnamed sources, ESPN says Hatch is focusing on strengthening the Sports Bribery Act, a federal law that was not effected by the Supreme Court decision.

The NFL says it hopes Congress can create uniform standards for those states that choose to legalize sports betting. The league’s senior vice president of  public policy and government affairs Jocelyn Moore is representing the NFL’s lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. Moore is reportedly a former deputy staff director of the Senate Finance Committee.

Since the Supreme Court decision, Delaware and New Jersey have begun offering sports betting in their casinos. Mississippi and West Virginia are expected to follow suit some time this summer.