Congress set to review ‘obsolete’ sports gambling laws

work together and create a fairer playing field for all types of gambling, both online and offline, including sports betting and daily fantasy sports,” Pallone said. “At the same time, we must ensure the laws are actually creating an environment of integrity and accountability, and include strong consumer protections. I plan to continue discussions with the key stakeholders and then will introduce comprehensive legislation to finally update these outdated laws.”

State-sponsored sports gambling is prohibited in all but four states, including Nevada, by the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, aka PASPA, which has been the subject of a number of legal challenges by Pallone’s home state of New Jersey.

Officials there want to introduce sports gambling to prop up the sagging fortunes of its Atlantic City casinos, a number of which have closed as nearby states have opened up gambling halls of their own in recent years. New Jersey’s attempts to circumvent the law have failed in federal courts, though the state has appealed the rejection of its latest attempt to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has yet to decide whether it will take the case.

Sports gambling also is regulated