This article is a reprint from washingtonexaminer.com. Read the original and comment here.
When it comes to public safety, there is no shortage of serious issues to address in Washington. The same is true in each state, city, and town across our country.
As individuals sworn to uphold all laws, the rank and file officers of the Fraternal Order of Police can’t just focus on a few and ignore the rest. Each threat must be given the appropriate attention and resources. However, this obligation to defend and uphold our laws is a balancing act. Law enforcement must also prioritize our time and attention to expediently address those posing the greatest threat.
That’s exactly why policing illegal sports betting is so difficult.
The idea of Americans placing illegal bets on sports doesn’t keep most of us up at night. In fact, many of us likely have family and friends who make illegal wagers, further normalizing the activity. But, we also know that unsavory characters run elaborate illegal sports betting operations to help fund more sinister criminal activity. That’s why we’ve been part of the American Sports Betting Coalition and working with other invested stakeholders on the issue of illegal sports betting for the past few years.
The startling truth the coalition uncovered was that the 25-year-old federal prohibition on sports betting known as the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was not only ineffective at preventing illegal sports betting, but it was actually helping to facilitate it. Today, millions of Americans bet on sports through a massive illegal market that operates outside the reach of law enforcement with no regulatory oversight, no means of protecting the integrity of the games, and no safeguards for consumers.
Based on all of this evidence, the Fraternal Order of Police and other law enforcement organizations concluded that legalization and regulation of sports betting is a better route that would bring it out of the shadows with tools and transparency for law enforcement and regulators. That is why we were pleased when the Supreme Court of the United States recently struck down PASPA.
This ruling returned authority to the states, who may now decide whether they want to allow legal sports betting. The answer has been a resounding “yes” as New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, and Mississippi have already decided to join Nevada as states that have legal, regulated sports betting markets that safeguard the integrity of the games, the wager, the data, and most importantly, the consumer.
Now that PASPA has been thrown out, all stakeholders — at the federal and state level, and in the public and private sectors — must work together to put an end to the illegal sports betting market, and there are appropriate roles for all of us.
PASPA’s resounding failure has taught us a valuable lesson: Federal oversight is not the solution when it comes to sports betting. Instead of another federal mandate, Congress should let the states regulate sports betting as they do other forms of gambling and ensure law enforcement and other stakeholders can work together effectively to create a legal, regulated marketplace.The most helpful role the federal government can play is for the Justice Department to pursue criminals beyond the jurisdiction of state and local law enforcement.
If we all do our part to empower a legal marketplace while thwarting illegal gambling, everyone can win. This will give Americans what they want while providing transparency for law enforcement and regulators to protect the public and stop the flow of illegal money into criminal organizations.
Chuck Canterbury is National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation’s oldest and largest law enforcement labor organization representing more than 335,000 members.
