First Draft of GAME Act Revealed, Next Stop the Congress

United States Congress to debate on The Game Act that could lift federal ban on gambling.

After the House Energy & Commerce Committee revealed the first draft of ‘The Gaming Accountability & Modernisation Enhancement Act’, the next stop on the road to its adoption is the United States Congress.

The GAME Act, as it’s also known, will stipulate the terms and conditions for those states who wish to allow licensed sports betting, including daily fantasy sports.

Modernising the Legislation

If adopted, the new federal legislation would abolish the current ‘Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act’ (PASPA), which has has been in effect since 1992.

The PASPA Act prohibits sports betting activities throughout the United States, with certain exceptions. These exceptions are Oregon, Delaware and Montana, where sports pools are legal, and Nevada, where sports betting is allowed, but only within licensed gambling venues.

The Best Chance for Sports Betting

The lead sponsor of the GAME bill is Frank Pallone, the U.S. Representative for New Jersey’s 6th congressional district. According to his own words, the bill has been harmonized with federal and state gambling laws, with the ultimate goal of protecting the consumers.

Pallone said the existing federal laws had to be changed in order to prevent the illegal markets from exploiting US-based players. He said that Americans were spending nearly $400 billion per year on various sporting events and that the GAME Act would increase transparency, integrity and the protection of consumers.

Pallone described the bill as ‘the best chance of US licensed sports betting’ and urged the members of Congress to give their full support in adopting the bill. He also addressed industry stakeholders and commercial bodies to review the bill’s provision and share their suggestions and opinions.

American Gaming Association (AGA), the United States gaming industry association, has already announced its plans to start lobbying Congress against PASPA. This is Association’s main goal for this year, while the President and Chief Executive Officer of the AGA, Geoff Freeman, stated that president Trump would have sports betting legislation on his desk during his term in office.