For Immediate Release
Contact: Curtis Kalin 202-467-5318

December 19, 2018
 

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) expressed its opposition to the “Sports Wagering Market Integrity Act,” introduced by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).

CCAGW President Tom Schatz said in a statement:

“After the Supreme Court legalized sports betting in May 2018, taxpayers and consumers were hopeful that this industry would grow free from the crushing regulatory hand of the federal government.  Unfortunately, some lawmakers are intent upon undermining that decision and imposing a massive new rulemaking regime on this vibrant, twenty-first century industry.

“The bill introduced by Sens. Schumer and Hatch would force states to seek Washington’s permission to allow sports betting, impose a new excise tax on consumers, and create two new federal bureaucracies to regulate and manage the personal betting decisions of millions of Americans.

“This bill is an unreasonable and unnecessary federal encroachment on the authority of states to manage sports wagering in their own jurisdictions.  It dramatically expands the size and scope of government and would place Washington bureaucrats in charge of a thriving modern American industry.  Legislation like this is a bad bet for taxpayers and consumers alike and should be soundly rejected.”

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.