On April 30th, Virginia became the second state this year to legalize sports betting. Not only that, but Virginia also became the second jurisdiction, after Washington, DC, to fully adopt the Sports Bettors Bill of Rights, making it the most consumer-friendly legal marketplace in the country. Effective July 1, 2020, sports bettors in Virginia will be guaranteed the rights to integrity and transparency, data privacy, self-exclusion, protection of the vulnerable, and recourse. 

Today, Delegate Marcus Simon (D VA-53) introduced HB 2210 which would provide robust and enforceable consumer protections while creating a legal marketplace for sports betting. If consumer protections are important to you, be sure to sign the letter to the Virginia House of Delegates below showing your support.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In the post-PASPA era industry and consumer advocates have been clamoring to pass sports betting legislation in the states. As of now, ten states have passed sports betting. Sports fans love to bet on their favorite teams. However, SFC worries about this wave of legislation. In an effort for quick cash, states are ignoring valuable consumer protections that would allow the legitimate market to better compete with the black market.

After the Supreme Court’s landmark decision ending the federal ban on sports betting, states across the country have rushed to pass sports betting legislation. However, in many of these states, consumer protections have been ignored. Especially protections that would protect the integrity of the games, guard against fraud, and provide resources for problem gamblers.

On May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court ended the federal ban on sports betting by vacating the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). The 26-year-old bookmaking prohibition ended after six of the nine justices in Murphy v. NCAA held that the law violated the “anti-commandeering” principle against Congress legislating through the states. The majority reasoned that in prohibiting states from authorizing sports betting, Congress overstepped its constitutional authority by forcing states to legislate against sports betting.