AGA releases statement on SAFE Bet legislation
Senator Richard Blumenthal and Representative Paul Tonko introduced the act, which would implement a ‘nationwide prohibition’ on sports betting.
On September 12, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representative Paul Tonko (NY-20) introduced a new proposal, the Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet act (SAFE Bet) in hopes of creating a nationwide ban on sports betting.
The act would force the 38 states where sports wagering has already been legalized to go through a new application process with the US Justice Department. The US Attorney General would then approve or reject applications, with approvals only lasting for a three-year period.
In response, the American Gaming Association (AGA) has released a statement regarding how the SAFE Bet act would affect sports betting around the country.
“Today’s regulated sports wagering operators are contributing billions in state taxes across the US, protecting consumers from dangerous neighborhood bookies and illegal offshore websites and working diligently with over 5,000 state and tribal regulators and other stakeholders to ensure a commitment to responsibility and positive play,” AGA SVP of Government Relations Chris Cylke said.
“Six years into legal sports betting, introducing heavy-handed federal prohibitions is a slap in the face to state legislatures and gaming regulators who have dedicated countless time and resources to developing thoughtful frameworks unique to their jurisdictions and have continued to iterate as their marketplaces evolve.”
If passed, the SAFE Bet act would prohibit gambling operators from running advertisements between the hours of 8am and 10pm and during live sporting events. It would also see an end to the operator’s practice of offering customers “bonus bets,” “no sweat bets” and other similar incentives.
Regarding affordability, the proposed legislation would prevent operators from accepting more than five deposits from a single customer within a 24-hour period, prohibit operators from accepting credit card deposits and require gambling companies to conduct “affordability checks” on customers before they place wagers of more than $1,000 within a 24-hour period.
Blumenthal and Tonko have already met opposition within their own political party as well, with Representative Dina Titus (D-NV) releasing a statement calling the SAFE Bet Act “outdated” and “unwarranted.”
“While the SAFE Bet Act is perhaps well-intentioned, pre-empting state gaming regulators by outlawing most forms of advertising and restricting the types and methods by which customers can place bets is a misguided approach,” Titus said.
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