Inside Asian Gaming

October 2016 inside asian gaming 41 Executive Associate Director of Homeland Security Investigations, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Jim Dinkins. June’s Law Enforcement Summit also saw current law enforcement officers voice their concerns at current legislation. Among them was Sheriff Michael Bouchard from Oakland County, Michigan, who said, “We must bring illegal sports betting out of the criminal shadows. I think we need to regulate it. States should be allowed to opt in or out, but nationally it should be legal.” Board member Young offered a similar view, stating, “We need to look at the utility of a regulated, transparent sports betting market. Let’s face it; demand is only rising. Consumers would rather do this in a regulated market that provides consumer protections, safeguards the integrity of the game and provides certainty and transparency. It’s easier to maintain public safety in that type of environment.” Ironically, the After-Action Report’s release comes just a month after the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling preventing New Jersey frompursuing a regulated sports betting industry within its borders. The ruling ended a two year dispute that began in 2014 when New Jersey passed a law to allow sports betting in the state. That law was knocked on the head in August last year when a three- judge panel ruled against New Jersey legalizing sports betting 2-1, leading to the four major North American sports leagues – the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB – stepping in to contest the ruling. But last month, a panel of 12 judges determined that the PASPA does indeed make it illegal for states to offer sports betting, sending supporters of a legalized sports betting industry back to square one. The hope now is that this new Report might give federal lawmakers reason to revisit the issue. And it addresses common concerns over how a regulated sports betting industry might look by using Nevada as the example. The only US state to offer genuine sports betting as in other Western countries like the UK and Australia, the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s (NGCB) enforcement division boasts 120 staff of which 90 are law enforcement agents. Its duties include investigating regulatory and criminal matters, conducting background investigations of gaming employees, gathering intelligence and providing analysis to other appropriate agencies. “Nevada, for example, has a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Olympic Committee and participates in its Integrity Betting Intelligence System,” the Report says. NGCB Chief of Enforcement Karl Bennison also makes the point that licensed gaming operators in Nevada “provide an early warning system and serve as a repository of data for betting and statistical irregularities.” The question now is whether or not such input from those on the front line has any meaningful impact on those who provide the framework within which they work. But at the very least it should give them food for thought. “Among those to support the Board’s stance are some of the United States’ major sporting leagues themselves, who once considered sports betting to be a threat to their integrity but now see a regulated industry as their best form of protection.” iGaming in Depth iGaming Blue Pages