July 25, 2018 Gambling / NCAA / Sports Betting / Sports Gambling

NCAA Analyzes the Impact of Legalized Sports Betting

On July 19, 2018, the NCAA announced that it was analyzing the impact of legalized sports betting by creating an internal team of experts. The team of experts would exam the long-term effects of legalized sports betting and its impact on college sports, including its impact on officiating, rules, and the used of integrity services. The NCAA said it remains opposed to legalized sport betting and is focused on protecting student-athletes and the integrity of their events. According to NCAA chief legal officer Donald Remy, …

July 2, 2018 Gambling / Legislation / Sports Betting / Sports Gambling

Rhode Island All In On Sports Gambling

Rhode Island has become the third state to pass sports betting legislation. The Sports Law Insider has previously reported on both Delaware and New Jersey’s approved gambling legislation. Now, on Friday, June 22, Governor Gina Raimondo signed Rhode Island’s fiscal year budget, which included provisions for the state’s two casinos to offer legal sports betting through the Rhode Island lottery.

With the passage of bill H.7200, sports wagering will begin at Twin River Lincoln casino and Twin River Tiverton casino on October 1, …

June 22, 2018 Ethics / Gambling / Labor & Employment / Litigation / Sports Betting / Sports Gambling

Online Betting Co. Sued By Former Employee

On Monday, June 18, 2018, online horse racing platform Xpressbet LLC was sued in Pennsylvania federal court by former employee John Martinez. Xpressbet allows users to bet live horse races legally online. Martinez claims he was demoted and subsequently fired because he took medical leave.

Martinez brings his complaint to recover all available damages for violations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA).

Martinez started working at Xpressbet in 2015 …

May 25, 2018 NFL / Sports Betting

NFL Issues Statement on Regulation of Sports Gambling

On Monday, May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court struck down a federal law that prohibited states from authorizing gambling on sports. The ruling opened the door for states to legalize and regulate the gambling industry within their borders. However, the ruling also leaves open the possibility that Congress will act to set national standards in the regulation of sports gambling. Indeed, shortly after the ruling was handed down, Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah) said that he will introduce legislation to regulate sports gambling on a federal …

May 15, 2018 Sports Betting

Supreme Court Bets on Federalism in Sports Gambling Ruling

On Monday, May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down a federal statute controlling the states’ ability to regulate sports gambling, destroying Nevada’s monopoly and opening the door for other states to get in on the multi-billion dollar industry. In its majority opinion, the court voted to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA). Although PAPSA did not make sports gambling itself a federal crime, the Act made it unlawful for states to promote, license, …

March 22, 2018 Sports Betting

Maryland Moves to Legalize Sports Betting

On March 15, 2018, the lower chamber of the Maryland State Legislature, the House of Delegates, passed legislation that could legalize sports betting in Maryland. An overwhelming number of state legislatures, 124 to 14, voted to pass bill HB1014. HB1014 will now move onto the upper chamber of the Maryland State Legislature, the Maryland State Senate, specifically the Senate’s Budget and Taxation Committee. If HB1014 passes the Maryland State Senate, it then becomes subject to a voter referendum.

Supporters of HB1014 say sports gambling …

February 2, 2018 Basketball / Sports Betting

NBA Calls for Legalization of Sports Betting

On January 24, 2018, the NBA’s Assistant General Counsel, Dan Spillane, testified in front of a New York State Senate committee and expressed the NBA’s support for a body of law that would legalize sports betting. Spillane said, “[w]e have studied these issues at length …[o]ur conclusion is that the time has come for a different approach that gives sports fans a safe and legal way to wager on sporting events while protecting the integrity of the underlying competitions.” Spillane’s testimony comes in stark …

October 26, 2017 Sports Betting

Florida Law Professor Requests Argument Before Court on Sports Betting

On October 17, 2017, Florida State University professor Ryan Rodenberg asked the U.S. Supreme Court in an amicus brief to consider all of its options before ruling on a challenge to a federal sports betting ban. Rodenberg, whose research is in sports law analytics, requested the court to grant him five minutes in oral arguments to argue that the court should rule based on the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) without ruling on the law’s constitutionality.

Rodenberg’s amicus brief is his latest …

September 7, 2017 Sports Betting

Will the U.S. Supreme Court “Take a Gamble” on New Jersey’s Stance to Legalize Sports Betting?

On Tuesday, September 5, 2017, the State of New Jersey, a state horsemen’s association, and a group of policy members urged the United States Supreme Court to deem a federal law prohibiting states from authorizing sports betting unconstitutional. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) is a federal law that directs states to maintain in effect their state-law prohibition on sports betting. New Jersey is trying to overturn the Third Circuit’s August 2016 holding that New Jersey’s attempt to repeal its sports betting …

August 2, 2017 Sports Betting

Indian Gaming Association Latest to Join Coalition to Legalize Sports Gambling

On June 26, 2017, the Supreme Court agreed to tackle the hotly debated question of whether the federal government should be able to prohibit states from legalizing sports gambling. The lawsuit commenced six years ago, when New Jersey Governor Chris Christie implemented a state law that would enable New Jersey casinos and racetracks to offer sports wagers. That New Jersey law was then challenged by the NCAA and “Big Four” of professional sports leagues, the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL. The opposition argued that the …