December 4, 2017

Today Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District sent a letter to the chairman and ranking member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee to request a hearing on sports betting. Rep. Titus sent the letter Monday after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Christie v. NCAA. Text of the letter is below, and a copy is attached.

December 4, 2017

Dear Chairman Walden and Ranking Member Pallone,

As the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Christie v. NCAA and examines the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), Congress should also turn its attention to sports betting in the United States.

Regardless of legality, the sports betting market is alive and booming in the U.S. Our current system has created a $150 billion illegal sports betting market annually which is ripe for manipulation and use in other forms of criminal activity. Legalizing sports betting with regulation and safeguards would diminish problems caused by the black market and allow state governments to generate additional tax revenue to fund local communities.

States are already preparing for a judicial outcome that paves the way for access to sports betting, with 13 having introduced legislation on the issue this year. Pennsylvania and Connecticut have both passed measures to regulate sports betting in their states if it becomes legal. In addition, Adam Silver, Commissioner of the NBA, has recently said the NBA will engage Congress, regardless of the outcome of Christie v. NCAA, on federal policy to regulate sports betting.

It is evident that this issue will be coming to Congress, and we must be ready to move quickly to ensure we protect consumers while excluding bad actors from participating in the marketplace. Members of Congress need to be prepared should action at the Supreme Court open the door for sports betting in their home state or warrant federal legislation. Accordingly, I respectfully request that the Energy and Commerce Committee hold a hearing on the future of sports betting in the United States.

Nevada, the only state with full-scale sports wagering, is home to more than 40 highly regulated publicly traded gaming companies. My district comprises the world famous Las Vegas Strip, numerous gaming establishments, including sports books, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) International Center for Gaming Regulation, a first-of-its-kind resource for research and programs to aid gaming regulators and emerging jurisdictions around the world. Inviting gaming regulation experts from these organizations to testify would make this a worthwhile and informative event and help address members’ concerns.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Dina Titus
Member of Congress