After FBI arrests tied to an illegal NBA‑linked gambling scheme, lawmakers are pushing nationwide prop‑bet bans, tougher ad rules and a crackdown on offshore books.
After FBI arrests tied to illegal gambling schemes involving NBA figures, lawmakers in both parties of the US Congress are sharpening calls for federal sports betting reforms.
Proposals span a nationwide ban on collegiate prop bets, federal advertising and affordability standards, and stepped‑up action against illegal offshore operators. Despite repeated introductions over recent sessions, Congress has shown negligible follow‑through since the 2018 repeal of PASPA.
A sports betting hearing in the Senate Committee on the Judiciary in December 2024 quickly turned off topic. The committee has not reconvened on the issue, despite Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill), who chairs the committee, saying it was not the end of the discussion.
Some lawmakers are reviving dormant bills, while others are entering the debate for the first time.
House panel seeks NBA gambling briefing
After the NBA gambling news broke last week, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce requested a briefing from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
The committee seeks details about the situation. It also wants to know the actions the NBA intends to take and whether the league’s current code of conduct is effective. Committee members also want to know whether the NBA is reevaluating its position on partnerships with sports betting companies.
“These allegations raise serious concerns about sports betting and the integrity of the sport in the NBA, which harms fans and legal sports bettors,” the letter reads. “The committee has jurisdiction over interstate commerce, consumer protection, and sports.”
The letter details the committee’s investigations of MLB steroid use, Olympic anti-doping measures and sexual abuse of Olympic athletes.
Senate committee wants NBA gambling information
Senators Ted Cruz (R‑Tex) and Maria Cantwell (D‑Wash) asked the NBA to produce documents on any internal investigations into illegal gambling by players and coaches since 2020, with a 10 November deadline.
The senators sent a letter to Silver this week.
“This is a matter of congressional concern,” the letter reads. “The integrity of NBA games must be trustworthy and free from the influence of organised crime or gambling-related activity. Sports betting scandals like this one may lead the American public to assume that all sports are corrupt.”
Durbin backs nationwide prop bet ban
Durbin said in a statement he is committed to banning prop bets nationwide to strengthen sports integrity. Durbin’s office did not return a request for comment from iGB.
“The temptation for athletes, seasoned coaches and professional officials to adjust performances is real,” Durbin said. “Sadly, scandals are becoming more and more frequent. Congress, states and sports leagues must all work to maintain the integrity of sports and prevent future sports betting scandals.”
League compliance teams, regulated sportsbooks and integrity monitors have flagged suspicious wagering that aided investigations.
NCAA President Charlie Baker is leading a campaign to ban college player prop bets across the country. While some states already had the collegiate prop prohibition in place, other state regulators retroactively banned the bet-type, including those in Ohio, Louisiana and Maryland.
But professional prop bets might be a harder lift. US Rep Michael Baumgartner did not include professional props in his bill to ban collegiate prop bets in the US, introduced earlier this year. He told the Washington Post a professional prop ban would be “unlikely” to pass.
Opponents warn bans could push demand for prop bets to offshore markets.
Senators urge DOJ offshore crackdown
Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) and Katie Britt (R-Ala) led a group of 11 bipartisan lawmakers in sending a letter this week to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging the Department of Justice to crack down on illegal gambling operators.
“We write regarding the concerning use of illegal offshore gaming operations by America’s youth, and to ask the DOJ to take action to protect young people from these illegal gaming operations,” the letter reads.
The letter notes all 50 state attorneys general sent a letter to the DoJ earlier this year asking for it to block offshore gambling websites using the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
The letter comes after regulators from across the US have sent hundreds of cease-and-desist letters to illegal gambling operators. In 2023, a group of state regulators sent a letter to the DoJ asking for support in an illegal market crackdown.
Britt recently asked Bondi during a recent Senate Judiciary hearing about offshore gambling.
“Senator Britt remains open to conversations and potential solutions for tackling how sports gambling adversely affects the next generation,” her office said in a statement to iGB. “Her current priority is addressing the alarming rise of illegal sports betting among our youth, especially when it comes to illegal offshore gaming operations. The Senator recognizes that access to offshore sites is one of the main culprits behind the rise in sports gambling among minors and will be taking steps to address it.”
The other sponsors signed to the letter are:
Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)
Cory Booker (D-NJ)
John Cornyn (R-Tex)
Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)
Josh Hawley (R-Mo)
Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii)
Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)
Mike Lee (R-Utah)
Thom Tillis (R-NC)
Peter Welch (D-Vt)
Blumenthal and Rep Paul Tonko (D-NY) sponsored the Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet Act (SAFE Bet Act) for the past two sessions. The bills have sat dormant in their respective committees since reintroduction in March.
The proposal would establish national advertising standards and affordability checks. It would also ban collegiate prop bets and restrict the use of AI to target bettors.
The lawmakers used the NBA gambling scandal last week to renew calls for their proposal. Tonko released a statement last week, blaming the scandal on the “unchecked explosion” of the legalised sports betting industry. He said the “unfettered access to sports gambling destroys public trust in the game”.
Tonko called for the NBA and other leagues to commit to minimum federal safety standards.
“The sad reality is that these scandals will only increase so long as the sports betting industry goes unchecked,” Tonko said in a statement to iGB. “In order to truly address this rising crisis, the federal government must act to establish minimum safety standards. I’ll continue to highlight the importance of this issue to my colleagues and push for this common-sense legislation.”
Blumenthal said in a statement last week the SAFE Bet Act would prevent coaches and athletes from betting on their own games, prohibit prop bets and “ensure that there is finally vigorous oversight of gambling companies”.
“These troubling indictments are the most recent signal that the sports betting industry has corrupted the game to the detriment of fans and victims of gambling addiction,” Blumenthal said last week in a statement. “Letting gambling companies turn sports into the wild west has been an abysmal and absolute failure – it’s time for Congress to enact the SAFE Bet Act into law.”