Dubbed the Romney-Schumer Gambling Plan, this is the latest attempt for a federal law on sports betting in the US. Apparently, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and Republican Senator Mitt Romney are behind this bill. The bill’s goal is to start a federal framework for US sports betting. So far, though, no actual bill has been filed yet. A good thing that most pay per head bookie experts are noting.
This is the second attempt by Schumer, as last year, he worked with retired Utah Senator Orrin Hatch (Republican). They came up with the Sports Wagering Market Integrity Act. This bill expired last December, and thankfully so. This was an attempt to mandate all sportsbooks to use official data from sports leagues.
US Law on Sports Betting
To those unaware of the gambling scene in the US, each US state enjoys the freedom to come up with local policies on gambling and sports betting. Some are embracing technology that the best bookie software companies do, and allow online sportsbooks. Online betting has been such a growing betting market that more and more bookies are going for pay per head solutions to manage their growing sportsbooks.
Of course, DC’s latest attempt at Federal control is looked upon negatively, and will probably not work out. Just like previous attempts by the state to do so. Romney, after all, will have a lot to make up for, as his decisions on gambling are not exactly in line with the Mormon church he belongs to. Besides, his personal beliefs should not be affecting policy. Even the best bookie pay per head services know to stay away from politicizing gambling and just focus on the job.
Schumer, meanwhile, is from New York, so his efforts may be attributed to him supporting the professional sports leagues. All four of them are based in New York. But forcing all to comply with this, through a federal law, is mute. Each state has their own policy that could dictate the use of official data, or not. In addition, agreements on the use of official data are already being formed between gambling operators and sports leagues, even specific sports teams. And given that each state has its own set of state-specific needs, a whole blanket policy may not work for everyone’s best interest.