GAMBLING

by the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, which outlaws the placing of sports bets over the telephone, and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which prohibits gambling businesses from accepting payments over the internet. But despite these prohibitions on sports gambling, the American Gaming Association estimates that Americans spend $149 billion annually on illegal sports wagers, mostly through unregulated offshore sports books.

Because of that and the rise of legal fantasy sports — which, at their essence, are no different than gambling — the national consensus on legalized sports gambling seems to be changing, a fact recognized by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who repeatedly has said that he favors a congressional framework for legalizing sports betting.

The NFL and NCAA, however, remain opposed, with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reiterating that point this week as he discussed the possibility of the Oakland Raiders moving to Las Vegas.

Getting the “stakeholders” — as Pallone euphemistically called the sports leagues, casino businesses and financial institutions that would be most affected by any change — involved in the discussion is a must, according to Daniel Wallach, a gaming and sports-law attorney who has been following the developments closely.

“Every initiative has to start from the beginning, and there’s no better place than the ranking Democrat on the committee” that would be charged with regulating sports gambling, Wallach said in a telephone interview Friday, adding that Pallone’s initiative would be greatly helped with the addition of bipartisan support so he isn’t a “lone wolf” on the matter.

Wallach predicted that hearings would begin next year and that, eventually, sports gambling will indeed be legal in the U.S. whether via congressional or judicial mandate.

“Best-case scenario: one to three years. Outer limit: three to five years,” he said. “In 10 years, there’s going to be legal sports gambling. You’ll be able to bet on games inside the arena using mobile phones. But without the stakeholders involved, nothing meaningful will happen.”