Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on legalized sports gambling

Chair of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin delivered the opening remarks on the committees hearing titled “America’s High-Stakes Bet on Legalized Sports Gambling”.

The Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing will examine the growth of sports betting since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Murphy v. NCAA struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018.

At the time of the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision, Nevada was the only state that offered legalized sports betting, now 39 states have legalized and now offer sports betting.

Senator Durbin points to the rise of online sports betting. Phones provide 24/7 access to sports betting.

“A person with a gambling problem can chase the action at the click of a button and rack up ever-increasing losses—whether on an NFL game or professional table tennis.”

He believes gambling operators need to play a larger role in preventing addiction. They can do this by identifying problem gamblers and directing them to help.

Expansion of the sports betting industry is leading to increased awareness of its impacts.

Senator Durbin is calling on Congress to look at the negative impacts of this industry.

“It’s critical that Congress looks into sports betting’s impact on America and determines how the industry should be regulated going forward.”

Over $30 billion was bet on sports in the third quarter of 2024 alone. This is a nearly 30% increase from the previous year.

While a highly profitable industry, if done irresponsibly gambling can cause severe addiction.

The National Council on Problem Gambling estimates 2.5 million adults suffer from a severe gambling problem. Another 5-8 million are estimated to have mild problems.