Sports Bettors' Bill of Rights Addressed in Congress

For the past couple of months, industry stakeholders have been working with policymakers to pass legislation that legalizes sports betting. However, They’ve been doing so without much regard to consumer protections — namely, SFC’s Sports Bettors’ Bill of Rights.

That all changed this morning when we urged Congress to bring consumer protections to the forefront of the conversation. As a result, Congressman Jerry Nadler submitted our Sports Bettors’ Bill of Rights to the Congressional record at the House Judiciary Committee’s hearing on sports betting, “Post-PASPA: An Examination of Sports Betting in America.”

You can read the full white paper about the Bill of Rights here. 

The witnesses from the NFL, American Gaming Association, Coalition to Stop Online Gambling, Stop Predatory Gambling, and Nevada Gaming Control Board each gave testimony. However, despite diverse opinions about the role of the federal government, and game integrity enforcement, none of the witnesses discussed in-depth the importance of consumer protections.

“SFC is grateful for the opportunity to submit our paper to the Committee record. It’s important that consumers have a voice in the conversation moving forward,” said Brian Hess, Executive Director of Sports Fans Coalition. “Too often, businesses and sports leagues claim to speak on behalf of fans while ignoring them in process. In the short time since PASPA was repealed, we’ve already seen instances of sports books refusing to pay out winnings and ignoring the Rights of the consumer. The potential harms that widespread legalized sports betting poses mean that the fans need to come first.”

If you want your rights protected, sign the petition below, and we’ll let your representatives know!