IAGA Summit Berlin: June 10-12, 2025
concern for them, and you can see the steps that they are trying to take to push back through law enforcement and sanctions that they can put on these individuals or groups involved in this activity. Te problem arises when we're dealing with the offshore or the international illegal gambling because there are those jurisdictional lines that are hard to cross. Tat’s where there are big challenges which they're trying to address with international partners. But certainly, it's a hot button topic for them.
Back from the dead and recently reintroduced to Congress, the controversial SAFE Bet Act includes a notable provision requiring states to cooperate with the federal government to combat illegal offshore gambling. Do you believe a shift from the current state-led approach would be a positive step?
I think an area where a federal partnership could be valuable is to address the illegal offshore gaming that's taking place. Because of the resources that the U.S. Department of Justice have developed in combating crimes overseas in other matters, as well as the relationships they've formed with other law enforcement agencies and entities like Interpol, have been valuable in helping other types of criminal investigations that we've engaged in. I think that type of partnership would be helpful. I’m not a state regulator so I don't know all the nuances of what they're thinking about in that space, but I'm a toolbox guy. If I'm looking to combat a problem and the federal government may have a tool that we may be able to use to help do that, I think that would be a welcome advantage for sure.
A new bill has been introduced to Congress aimed at banning proposition bets on individual college athletes as lawmakers seek to address concerns over gambling- related harassment and integrity risks in collegiate sports. The Providing Responsible Oversight and Transparency and Ensuring Collegiate Trust for Student Athletes Act (PROTECT Act) does not prohibit betting on the outcomes of college games, instead targeting wagers on individual player performances. Is there a case to be made that betting on college sports should be eliminated completely? Is a halfway house that blurs the lines between amateur and professional sports (where some bet types are permitted but others aren't) prioritising financial interests over the well-being of students?
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Tere needs to be an awareness of what student athletes and staff are having to deal with in this new world of legalised sports betting. I think the NCAA has done a tremendous job in discussing these issues with legislative bodies and regulators. Te concern I have with the college space relative to sports betting is that we must be students of history.
Over time we’ve had betting scandals and events take place that haven't been great for college athletics. However, the biggest difference now compared to then is that, because of legalised sports betting, many students on campus can legally bet on sports. In some states, the entire campus can do that because the betting age is lower, so you have a situation where student athletes are sharing campus facilities with people actively legally engaging in sports betting and that's a completely different atmospheric than it was before.
10 years ago, there was a firewall of betting being illegal which would make people a little reluctant to engage but now they can do so legally. Tat’s the space student athletes are having to navigate and the education around issues that can arise needs to adjust accordingly. I don't see sports betting on college athletics ever going away, but I appreciate the dialogue and the efforts the NCAA has made with states about the removal of prop betting. Another issue is harassment. In the last few years there has been an increase in online harassment of student athletes from sports betters that have lost money betting on a game. Instead of looking at themselves in the mirror and saying, well, maybe I shouldn't have done that, they're taking out their frustrations on the student athlete themselves through their social media.
Te NCAA conducted a study on this issue at the end of last year and it was shocking to see how many of the students received abuse and harassment online. Tese athletes were involved in men's sports and women's sports - there is no exception given to anyone and the harassment is widespread. We still have all the ingredients that were part of sports betting scandals prior to the legalisation of sports betting. When you look at what happened with Arizona State and Northwestern and the involvement with organised crime in those matters, legalisation of sports betting wasn’t ever going to take that threat away. Tere will always be people that will look for an advantage and try to manipulate a student athlete or staff member to gain some kind of edge in their betting activity. Te harassment part is troubling because there's no place for it. A
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