Speaking at this week’s post-PASPA Judiciary Hearing in the House of Representatives, the NFL’s executive VP, communications and public affairs, Jocelyn Moore, outlined the league’s view on the regulation of sports betting. While the league is not seeking widespread federal rule, she said, it does expect a strong set of core standards as part of a closer state/federation partnership.
Moore told attendees: “Without continued federal guidance and oversight, we are very concerned that sports leagues and state governments alone will not be able to fully protect the integrity of sporting contests and guard against the harms Congress has long recognized as being associated with sports betting. As Congress understood when it enacted PASPA, issues generated by sports betting cannot be confined within state lines.”
The arrival of the Internet has significantly compounded these issues, said Moore, adding: “Sports betting remains an interstate question requiring a federal response. For all of these reasons, the National Football League is calling upon Congress to establish core standards for state regulators that will: 1) ensure a legal, regulated sports betting framework with substantial safeguards for consumers; 2) provide adequate monitoring and enforcement tools for federal and state law enforcement to protect NFL fans and penalize bad actors here at home and abroad; and 3) protect league content and intellectual property.”
Moore also noted that while state regulators have an important role to play in a post-PASPA environment, the federal government has primary authority regarding interstate commerce, interstate law enforcement, and international sanctions against corruption and money laundering. “The federal government is uniquely able to ensure that the policy choices of individual states to allow or disallow sports betting within their borders are respected; and to facilitate crucial information-sharing between state and federal regulators, sports leagues, and international law enforcement agencies to help prevent the corruption seen in some parts of the world where sports betting is legal,” she advised.
In conclusion, Moore told the hearing: “To be clear, the National Football League is not advocating for a sweeping expansion of federal law at the expense of state sovereignty. We are asking for core standards, as a crucial element of a federal and state partnership, to protect the integrity of our game and, by extension, the millions of fans who are your constituents.”
