In October, at the largest annual U.S. gathering of sports betting stakeholders in Las Vegas, word started to get around that a piece of federal legislation funneling 50% of the current sports betting excise tax to problem and responsible gambling initiatives was in the offing.
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That murmur reached a roar earlier this month, when U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Oregon) introduced the so-called GRIT Act, which quickly exposed a massive rift among gaming stakeholders.
Nevada Rep. Dina Titus, long a lead voice in all things gambling on Capitol Hill, said she was blindsided by a bill that opposes a goal she has long sought: to eliminate the excise tax altogether.
