Gaming Industry Launches New Bid To Overturn Federal Ban On Sports Betting

The largest lobbying group representing casino operators around the country is starting a new initiative to once and for all lift the federal ban that limits sports betting to Delaware, Montana, Nevada, and Oregon. The initiative - spearheaded by the American Gaming Association - includes representatives from politics and law enforcement.

"Big Government’s 1992 sports betting prohibition has failed to protect sports, fans and communities," said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association, which is leading the campaign. "We are partnering with local and state elected officials, law enforcement and other diverse interests to tell Washington to get out of the way.

"Regulated sports betting is what fans want and sports integrity demands." (Subscribe to local news alerts on Patch).

Freeman cites research that says ending the ban would curb an illegal market estimated at $150 billion. He says that ending the ban could create an estimated 152,000 jobs, generate $5.3 billion in tax revenue, and create roughly $26 billion in economic activity.

Brad Schimel, the attorney general for Wisconsin and a member of the National Association of Attorneys General Executive Committee, says that the federal ban "is unconstitutional and failed law.

"The rampant illegal sports betting that currently exists continues to fuel other criminal activities and provides no consumer protections. States should be able to determine for themselves how to address the issue."

Former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis says doing away with the ban is a public safety issue.

"It's clear to me we need to regulate sports betting," he says. It's time to get practical about public safety."

The American Gaming Association says that the popularity of sports betting is "soaring to new heights. Fifty million Americans bet on Super Bowl 51 this year and fans wagered more than $10 billion on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in March. However, only a small fraction of that $10 billion – less than 3 percent – was wagered legally."

The effort led by the gaming association is called the American Sports Betting Coalition. They say that it is supported by the Fraternal Order of Police, National District Attorneys Association, Major County Sheriffs Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors and National Conference of State Legislatures who support the coalition principles.

File photo by Ethan Miller/Getty News Images/Getty Images