NFL Battles Casinos With Push for Sports-Betting Regulations
Posted by Cover.bet
Posted on Thu, Sep 27, 2018

The National Football League called on Congress to regulate sports betting, enforce age limits and require that sports-book operators use official league data to maintain integrity of the games.

The comments, which were published before a Thursday morning hearing of the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, are the latest salvo in an effort by professional football to limit or extract fees from sports wagers.

The organization was among several that fought legalization of sports betting in New Jersey, which was ultimately validated by the U.S. Supreme Court in May. That ruling has opened the door for other states to approve such betting and several, including Mississippi and West Virginia, already have.

Leagues have also been pushing for states to mandate fees that would support their efforts to prevent cheating.

“Without continued federal guidance and oversight we are very concerned that sports leagues and state government alone will not be able to fully protect the integrity of sports contests,” Jocelyn Moore, executive vice president for communications at the NFL, said in prepared remarks published on the committee’s website.
Match Fixing

Moore also said certain types of in-game bets, such as how many flags a referee throws, should be banned. “These types of bets are significantly more susceptible to match-fixing efforts,” she said.

A casino representative and Nevada’s top casino regulator challenge the league’s position.

The American Gaming Association, a trade group for casino operators, “vigorously opposes efforts to use federal or state legislation to establish commercial terms that are routinely left to private business contracts,” Sara Slane, a senior vice president for the association, said in her remarks.

Becky Harris, chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, said additional fees would make legal sports betting less competitive with illegal gambling.

“Illegal bookmakers don’t worry about complying with regulators,” she said.