Summary
Congress is considering federal regulation of sports betting amid rising gambling addiction and public health impacts since its 2018 legalization in 38 states.
Witnesses, including NCAA president Charlie Baker, warned of addiction risks for young people and insufficient state funding for treatment.
Some lawmakers support federal oversight, proposing bills like the SafeBet Act.
The gambling industry opposes federal rules, claiming states regulate better, but critics warn continued resistance could lead to stricter controls like tobacco laws.
Gambling lobby - here, shut up and take this $$$$$$$$!
Congress - OK!
You probably know how the rest goes.
“People who write gambling apps are getting rich, and we’re not. Time to scare them with the threat of a law until we’re sufficiently bribed.”
I’m surprised they haven’t already taxed that as gambling income yet.
This is a good a time as any to mention that a billionaire developer is threatening to bulldoze the heart of Coney Island to build a massive casino. There’s more info here, none of the local papers wanna cover it 🙃
Coney houses the last remaining permanently housed circus sideshow and a museum that seeks to preserve all the local history. If that’s gone then that’s it. We also have Atlantic City around the corner.
If only this could have been predicted somehow…
I mean, what are the odds?
I can’t see how this could possibly go wrong. We never had anything go wrong with a federal ban on something addictive before.
Edit: This is for you downvoters since you’re apparently not aware-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States
That’s just a stupid take. The problem with the war on drugs is not that drugs are illegal. It’s that you treat drug addicts as violent criminals instead of sick people who need help.
Do you think they will treat all the people who are caught illegally gambling as sick people who need help or do you think private prisons will still have quotas?
It’s entirely possible to crack down on gambling without treating every gambler as a dangerous criminal. A ban on gambling advertisement would be a good first step for example.
Yes, because congress famously only does a light touch with these sort of regulations and is never way too heavy-handed. And then, as I said, no cop ever finds a way to abuse those regulations to get away with murder.
You all seem to forget who’s in charge of congress.
You are, by voting. And getting other people to vote. There is a vast amount of grey between everything being entirely legal and a guns drawn “war on gambling”. That’s thinking like a teenager who only sees black and white.
You are, by voting.
You have definitely forgotten who will be in charge of congress come January. And the presidency. And the Supreme Court.
Do you really think your vote is ever going to matter again?
People just didn’t care what Project 2025 laid out for them to see and they’re still in denial about it, I guess.
I’m from the EU so I can’t vote over there. I just think it’s incredibly naïve to want to keep everything legal just because you are worried about overreach from cops or politicians.
You know what? They can already overreach using any of a thousand bad laws. But don’t worry. Gambling is big business and the incoming administration is the he most corrupt ever, so nothing will come of this.
We still allow cigarette smoking in the USA but we’ve banned most forms of cigarette advertising.
Sure. No one gets hurt. It’s all just going to affect corporations and no individuals will be hurt.
Except, of course, when the cops use selling loose cigarettes as an excuse to murder someone.
But I’m sure we won’t hear about any black men “accidentally” being killed because they were being stopped due to illegal gambling.
Congress is the serious disease.
