Once PASPA was repealed in 2018, states were left to decide whether to allow legalized sports gambling within their jurisdictions. So far, 39 states, as well as DC and Puerto Rico, have legalized the practice, and more states are debating whether to do the same. However, that has left a hodgepodge legislative framework throughout the US.
Kansas City is perhaps the most striking example. The city of 500,000 is located between Kansas and Missouri. Kansas legalized sports gambling in 2022, while Missouri just gave the O.K. in late 2024, with a go-live schedule for later in 2025. So, for now, KCers on the Missouri side must cross the border to wager on sports.
Another example of the hodgepodge laws in the nation is how jurisdictions allow certain types of bets while others don't such as college basketball prop bets. States, like New York, don't allow those markets meaning bettors have to go to New Jersey to place that type of bet (so long as it's not on a team from New Jersey).
With such differences in what is and isn't legal depending on your state, there have been calls for a federal sports betting framework that would apply to all 50 states.
The Push For Federal Sports Gambling Framework
The NBA is perhaps the biggest advocate for codifying a federal sports gambling framework to protect the integrity of the game. They've already seen the benefits of state-level regulation, such as being able to identify betting irregularities by Jontay Porter and Terry Rozier but would still like more oversight. Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum has said that a federal framework "creates transparency that we didn't have previously, and allows us to maintain the integrity of the sport."
Along with the NBA, the NCAA is also calling for a federal framework to protect the integrity of its sport by banning prop bets for collegiate sports. The NCAA is not only worried about internal issues like a Jontay Porter-type incident but external pressures placed on student-athletes. The league had to provide 24/7 protection for a school's team due to threats from bettors.
Not only is there an appeal from outside of the legislative branch but from within as well.
SAFE Bet Act
Earlier this month Congressman Paul Tonko and Senator Richard Blumenthal announced that they would re-introduce their SAFE Bet (Supporting Affordability and Fairness With Every Bet) Act. The Act first introduced in the 118th Congress (2023-2024) was sent to Committee but wasn't heard before that session was over.
Their act would keep sports gambling up to the states by making them apply for approval from the Attorney General. Approval depends on how a state adheres to certain standards.
States must agree to:
- ban amateur or intercollegiate prop bets
- ban live betting
- create a self-exclusion list
- affordability protections
- maximum of 5 deposits in 24 hours
- no deposits by credit card
- affordability check on any bet of more than $1,000 in 24 hours or $10,000 in 30 days
- restrict the use of AI for advertising
- no ads between 8 am and 10 pm
Those are just some of the highlights of the act. You can read all of its application standards here.
The road is long for the SAFE Bet Act to be approved and codified into law, but if it were to get there it would address concerns by the NBA, the NCAA, and interest groups like the National Council on Problem Gambling and establish a federal framework for sports betting.
