The Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), a 1992 federal law prohibiting sports betting in most states. This decision will permit each state to pass laws legalizing or prohibiting sports betting. The court ruled 6-3 that the federal law violated constitutional principles limiting the federal government from controlling state policy by forcing states to prohibit sports betting.
The PASPA was created to safeguard the integrity of sports. In the past, gamblers corrupted and seriously damaged the reputation of professional and amateur sports, hence the opposition to legalization by professional sports leagues and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Some major sports leagues offered cautious reactions to the news, calling for regulatory framework and stating they would take steps to ensure the integrity of their games. Other members of sports leagues celebrated and embraced the decision, stating that the regulations and increased transparency will provide protection against corruption.
NIGA Chairman Stevens supports the decision, stating that “our gaming tribes look forward to being at the table in establishing the critical regulatory framework that will minimize the negative impacts of sports betting on tribal casinos, permitting tribes to conduct sports betting in the same manner as non-tribal organizations and in line with the principles established by tribes.”
Read 16-476 Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association here.
Read the Indianz article here.