Geoff Freeman – AGA
Geoff Freeman the President & CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA) has requested for the impending Trump administration and the Supreme Court to review the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) which has outlawed sports betting in the majority of US states.
The AGA stands by its claim that PASPA provisions which have limited legal sports betting to just four states (Nevada, Oregon, Delaware and Montana) have criminalised the American consumer creating a $150 billion a year underground market.
“As President-elect Donald Trump has acknowledged, illegal sports betting is a thriving industry,” said AGA president and CEO Geoff Freeman.
“The 24-year-old federal ban –which is breathing life into a $150 billion illegal sports betting market — threatens the integrity of games, presents fundamental questions about states’ sovereignty to define their own laws and combat crime within their borders, and prevents fans from engaging with the sports they enjoy in a safe, legal way. The United States Supreme Court should consider New Jersey’s important claims and allow all states to address the serious problems associated with illegal sports betting.”
PASPA provisions have been challenged multiple times by the state of New Jersey, which seeks to become the fifth US state to allow sports betting in licensed gambling premises. However, to date all its attempts to repeal PASPA have been rejected by US high courts.
Seeking a new approach to legalised sports betting, the AGA has published two new reports; “The Key to Sports Integrity in the United States: Legalized, Regulated Sports Betting” details how the United States would benefit from adopting an approach similar to that in the United Kingdom to allow legal, regulated sports betting in an open and transparent market to protect the integrity of sports.
Its report is backed by the “Law Enforcement Summit on Illegal Sports Betting: After-Action Report,” found that PASPA is fueling a massive underground betting market and should be repealed.
Updating industry stakeholders this week, Geoff Freeman stated that the impending Trump administration could mark a ‘new dawn’ for opening up the US gambling sector. Welcoming the Trump Presidency Freeman further detailed ‘specific areas’ for the AGA to work with the administration focusing on promoting the benefits of ‘pro-business’ gambling policy and regulations for the US
