Congressman Tonko Demands Federal Gambling Safety Standards from Professional Sports Leagues

Congressman Paul D. Tonko, representing New York's 20th district, has written letters to the commissioners of seven major professional sports leagues, urging them to support the implementation of federal gambling safety standards as proposed in his SAFE Bet Act. Tonko's letters come in the wake of recent sports betting scandals, highlighting the need for mandatory federal guardrails to restore integrity and protect the public. The SAFE Bet Act aims to create a safer, less addictive product and protect consumers by addressing marketing, affordability, artificial intelligence, and other concerns.

Key Takeaways:

• Congressman Tonko has sent letters to the commissioners of the NBA, WNBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, MSL, and NWSL to support implementing federal gambling safety standards in the SAFE Bet Act.
• The SAFE Bet Act addresses issues such as sportsbook marketing, affordability, artificial intelligence, and the protection of minors from sports betting.
• The bill proposes prohibiting operators from accepting more than 5 deposits from a customer in a 24-hour period, conducting 'affordability checks' on customers, and prohibiting operators from accepting deposits via credit card.
• The SAFE Bet Act would also ban prop bets on all college and amateur athletes, authorize SAMHSA to collect data on the impact of sports betting nationwide, and create a national self-exclusion list.
• Tonko emphasizes that the reliance on voluntary self-policing has failed and that the current system is already broken, stating that federal law enforcement alone cannot ensure the integrity of professional sports.

Statistics:

• 5 deposits: The maximum number of deposits that sportsbook operators would be prohibited from accepting from a customer in a 24-hour period.
• 24 hours: The timeframe within which sportsbook operators would be required to conduct 'affordability checks' on customers and prohibit them from accepting more than 5 deposits.