The discussions for a US new federal sports betting law has been postponed for some time, leaving the states to deal with the issue. However, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has come to the conclusion that their best way to have a word on the matter might be in Washington D.C, and so a new bill is reportedly being worked on.
Senators Mitt Romney of Utah and Chuck Schumer of New York started working on a bill. The bill, a descendent of 2018’s Sports Wagering Market Integrity Act, has no timeline or details available, but the NCAA has some suggestions.
NCAA vice president of hearing operations Naima Stevenson Starks commented:
“We are absolutely supportive of federal regulation. It’s fairly daunting to think that every state would have a different set of regulations. Having some minimum standards, we are very supportive of and have been an active proponent of.”
The NCAA has not been a fan of legalized sports betting, repeatedly arguing that it’s bad for college athletics, which they believe should be kept pure and away from the influence of money. This seems to be the reason why they are getting involved at this stage and pushing for a specific prohibition on college sports betting.
Starks suggested:
“Certainly, if there were the ability to have some kind of carve-out on college athletics altogether, that would be something that I know most would be supportive of. Whether or not that would be something that the federal legislation that’s being proposed would do, given that states are already doing it, I think that might be a challenge for the bill potentially get passed, which is the ultimate goal.”
We can only guess if Schumer and Romney will finish a bill anytime soon, with a divided legislative branch and presidential elections starting to kick into gear. We all know what the NCAA is hoping for, if they do.
