Yesterday Senators Hatch (R-UT) and Schumer (D-NY) revealed the Sports Wagering Market Integrity Act of 2018. The bill seeks to establish federal standards for states that wish to legalize sports betting. Brian Hess, Executive Director of SFC, said the following: “Any sports betting legalization must include robust consumer protections. This bill is an improvement from initial drafts but Sports Fans Coalition will push lawmakers to include all elements of the Sports Bettors' Bill of Rights.” Continue reading

Yesterday, Sports Fans Coalition and the National Consumers League jointly filed comments which called on the FTC to investigate many consumer harms that are plaguing the live-event ticketing marketplace. The comments, filed in advance of the FTC’s “Online Event Ticket Workshop” argue how excessive market consolidation since the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger in 2010 has caused fans to fall victim to deceptive practices such as drip pricing, holdbacks, and restricted ticket transferability and has resulted in fans being forced to pay more than they agreed to for tickets. Continue reading

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. Continue reading

Tribune’s announcement that it ended the buyout agreement with Sinclair this week represents the end of a year-long battle between SFC, business interests, and other public interest advocates and Sinclair. Now that the $3.9 Billion takeover is over, let’s look at a few of the highlights that created a true underdog story. Continue reading

The history of sports betting includes well-known cases of fraud and bad actors meddling with winnings. Sports betting legislation though has not addressed “The Right to Recourse.” Lawmakers must ensure that every bet placed is protected in the event a transaction goes awry. The right requires systems and resources, such as internal complaint process information and access to the government regulators’ complaint system, to be conveniently accessible to all sports bettors. Continue reading

Since unveiling the Bill of Rights earlier this week, thousands of American sports fans have shown their support by signing our petition below. Let’s break down the fourth right for all fans --The Right to Protection of the Vulnerable. Continue reading

Several states are rushing to legalize sports betting for the influx of state tax revenue. Some states are even considering holding a special session to attend to the issue. However, the lack of time spent to address the harms of sports betting is putting consumers at risk. Continue reading

The creation of the Sports Bettors’ Bill of Rights draws light upon the lack of consumer protections included in sports betting state legislation since the Supreme Court decision to repeal PASPA. Notably, the states neglect to include strong data privacy provisions which are top-of-mind to many consumers including sports fans. Continue reading

States must protect consumers to earn the tax revenues promised by the legalization of sports betting. Without protections, bettors have no incentive to leave the black market and participate in the legitimate market. That is why SFC has created the Sports Bettors’ Bill of Rights. Continue reading

Yesterday afternoon, the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security assembled to question the progress made by Michigan State University, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and USA Gymnastics in regard to the sexual assault scandals. Continue reading