Sports leagues hit in New Jersey betting bill
New Jersey has advanced a bill to legalise sports betting but opted not to include integrity measures requested by professional sports leagues in the US.
The National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) have rallied for bills to feature clause whereby the leagues receive a share of gambling revenue.
The leagues have said that they require additional funding to expand their anti-corruption efforts now that the US sports betting market is expanding.
States are now permitted to legalise sports betting after the Supreme Court voted to repeal the federal 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).
Last week, Delaware became the first state to legalise sports betting after the Supreme Court ruling on PASPA and is due to launch a regulated service today (Tuesday).
However, New Jersey, which led the effort to overturn PASPA, has opted against including the requested measures in its bill, which is expected to move the full legislature for a likely vote on Thursday, according to Reuters.
The bill does not require New Jersey casinos to share real-time game data, nor does it request state regulators or casinos to share information with leagues if they learn that a game is fixed.
Bryan Seeley, head of investigations, compliance and security at MLB, said the bill “does not give us the tools we need to protect our national pastime”.
However, in response, New Jersey Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, who heads the state Assembly’s gaming committee, said: “The tool you’re looking for is money; that’s not going to happen.
“You guys are in it to make money. This is hypocrisy to the fullest extent.”
Meanwhile, New York Assemblyman Gary Pretlow has submitted a bill for the potential legalisation of sports betting in the state, pledging to pay a ‘royalty’ to sports leagues.
The latest version of the bill features a clause to pay professional sports leagues a share of betting revenue, but refers to this as a ‘royalty’ instead of an ‘integrity fee’ as suggested by sports leagues.
According to an advance copy of the legislation obtained by PlayUSA.com, the bill states leagues would need to submit a claim for this royalty by April 13 each year.
The leagues must also meet with the state’s gambling commission within 30 days of submitting the claim to provide “evidence of policies, procedures and training programs it has implemented to protect the integrity of its sports events”.
This process differs to an earlier draft bill set out by Senator John Bonacic, who had suggested leagues be given royalties without the need for further activity.
Pretlow’s bill also drops a requirement for an annual report on usage of the fees that is subject to audit by the commission, but does include sports governing bodies registered to obtain the fee must have their headquarters in the US.
New York is hoping to pass sports betting legislation before a scheduled adjournment of the legislature on June 20.
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