Geoff Freeman takes advantage of just about any speaking opportunity to argue for legalization of sports gambling, but Friday he addressed some listeners who would have a hand in implementation: state legislators.
Lawmakers from across the country gathered in Miami for the winter meeting of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States, and Freeman, president of the American Gaming Association, used his opening address time to pound home points on his pet topic.
Before entering the crux of his message, he acknowledged “if we’re looking at change through public policy, there’s not a shortage of issues to talk about.”
From the industry perspective, though, sports betting is the prevalent topic.
“We think there’s extraordinary opportunity in that space,” he said. “This thing is out in the open. It’s become so commonplace today. Everyone has embraced sports betting for what it is.
“The question is now, how do we tap into this market.”
He also updated legislators on last month’s Supreme Court hearing, which could lead to the overturn of the 25-year-old Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).
“Everything we deal with in the gaming industry and the world of sports is different than it was in 1992,” Freeman said. “That’s exactly why the days are numbered.”
He said the public’s interest in daily fantasy sports proves how fans are engaged on a much deeper level than they used to be.
“DFS got people to watch a Browns-Bengals game into the fourth quarter. Nobody thought that was possible,” he said, drawing chuckles.
He spelled out the options that could come from the Supreme Court, putting the odds at 60-40 in favor of a narrow ruling that would affect only the state of New Jersey, as opposed to a complete overturn of PASPA on constitutional grounds. (The other option would be upholding PASPA, but Freeman noted that “as anyone in that room can attest that the court seemed skeptical of upholding the federal ban.) A ruling is expected in April or May.
He said, though, if the overturn were to be the result, “this issue could move very quickly into each of your states. Because at that point, Washington is done. The train is down the tracks. We would be going state by state and we’d be going there quickly.”
Should what Freeman terms the more likely result, a narrow ruling siding with New Jersey, the AGA would then work with Congress toward a favorable outcome.
“What I’d expect to see happen is minimum standards set at a federal level, and then states would advance like in other forms of gambling,” Freeman said.
He also spelled out the Capitol Hill strategy: defining the problem, building a broad coalition, then aligning the industry.
Freeman also encouraged legislators to empower regulators, ensure integrity by studying other countries, such as Australia and England and create smart tax rates.
“Understand what the consumer wants,” he said. “What will it take to bring them from the illegal market into the legal market. Take that time to understand that consumer.
“This is a growth opportunity like none other we’ve seen in this business.”
The conference continues through Sunday. Legislators joked about the weather, which was cold by Florida standards but balmy in comparison to the rest of the country.
“It’s 55 out and they’re apologizing that it’s not 75 and sunny and we can’t sit by the pool,” said Bill Coley, a state senator from Ohio. “It’s all relative.”
