Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Explosive Growth In Sports Betting Since Murphy V. NCAA Supreme Court Decision

December 17, 2024

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Explosive Growth In Sports Betting Since Murphy V. NCAA Supreme Court Decision

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "America's High-Stakes Bet on Legalized Sports Gambling." The hearing will examine the growth in sports betting since the Supreme Court's ruling in Murphy v. NCAA struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018.

Key Quotes:

"In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, opening the floodgates for states to legalize sports betting. Once a largely illegal activity, sports betting is now legal in over three dozen states and the District of Columbia."

"Professional sports leagues-formerly the chief opponents of sports betting-now partner with sportsbooks and have integrated gambling into their games and broadcasts. It is virtually impossible to watch a sporting event today without being barraged by ads encouraging you to bet, or hearing from a celebrity endorser about the latest parlay you should try. And, from the industry's perspective, it's a very profitable development."

"While gambling can be a form of entertainment when done responsibly, in many cases, it is not being done responsibly. According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, an estimated 2.5 million adults may have a severe gambling problem. Another five to eight million are estimated to have mild problems."

"With the advent of online sports betting, everyone's cellphone is a sportsbook, providing betting access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A person with a gambling problem can chase the action at the click of a button and rack up ever-increasing losses-whether on an NFL game or professional table tennis. I believe gambling operators must play a greater role in preventing addiction on the front end."

"Problem gambling is not the only negative side effect of legalized sports betting. As sports betting has spread, the actual games and cheering for your team have become less important for many individuals, who are more focused on the point spread or player props."

"When a bet doesn't hit, angry bettors often take it out on the players. In a victory over Michigan State in last year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, North Carolina star Armando Bacot had a great game, scoring 18 points and grabbing seven rebounds in his team's win. But he didn't have enough rebounds to make certain gamblers' bets pay off. Bacot reported getting over 100 messages from gamblers after the game berating him because they lost their bets."

"Athletes, coaches, and officials also deal with the temptation to adjust their performances to make bets hit. You don't have to look far to find a recent sports betting scandal. Whether it's NBA player Jontay Porter taking himself out of games to cash in prop bets or former Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon giving inside information to bettors about his team, these scandals will only continue to pop up."

"It's critical that Congress looks into sports betting's impact on America and determines how the industry should be regulated going forward."

Video of Durbin's opening statement is available here.

Audio of Durbin's opening statement is available here.

Footage of Durbin's opening statement is available here for TV Stations.

At the time of the Court's decision, Nevada was the only state to offer comprehensive, legal, regulated sports betting. Now, 38 states and D.C. offer sports betting, with Missouri set to become the 39^th state in 2025. While sports leagues once opposed sports betting, leagues, franchises, and networks now partner with betting companies and have integrated gambling into sporting events and broadcasts, making it nearly impossible to watch sports without being encouraged to bet.

As legal sports betting has risen, there's also been an increased awareness of its negative impacts. An estimated 2.5 million U.S. adults meet the criteria for a severe gambling problem and the risk of problem gambling has risen by around 30 percent between 2018 and 2021 alone. Further, a survey of young adults aged 18-22 found that among those who had seen sports betting ads-which often include offers of "free" wagers and bonuses as a way to entice bettors-over 50 percent said it made them more likely to want to gamble.

The hearing will examine the growth in legal sports betting and its impact on society, including kids who are gambling illegally on sports betting apps.

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