Share 
In the wake of an FBI indictment of more than 30 people involved in a sports betting and gambling scheme, Sen. Richard Blumenthal emphasized the importance of his proposed gambling law, the SAFE Bet Act.
In a statement released after the FBI announced its indictment, including those of Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, Blumenthal said his legislation would tighten betting regulations to curb athlete involvement.
“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.
A game-changing plan to reform sports gambling
In his statement, Blumenthal highlighted three main components of the act:
- Ban athletes and coaches from betting on games in their league.
- Crack down on prop bets.
- Enact vigorous oversight of gambling companies.
No more insider bets: SAFE Bet Act’s ban on athletes, coaches
Currently, professional sports leagues set their own sports betting rules for employees, coaches, and players. Generally, leagues prohibit players and coaches from betting on their own games.
The SAFE Bet Act would establish a federal ban, prohibiting sports betting by any “athlete, coach, official, or employee of a sports organization or any club or team of a sports organization, with respect to a sporting event sponsored, organized, or conducted by the sports organization,” according to the legislation. The act would also bar same-league sports betting for employees of a player (such as an agent), a sports organization union, or individuals accredited or credentialed by a sports organization.
In other words, league employees, including athletes and coaches, would be prohibited from betting on any contests in their league.
SAFE Bet Act’s crackdown on risky prop bets
The SAFE Bet Act would ban all amateur and intercollegiate prop bets to prevent players and coaches from throwing games in connection with sports wagers and to protect players from the wave of fan harassment that has surged since sports betting was widely legalized.
Holding betting companies accountable with SAFE Bet Act
Blumenthal’s act would impose strict rules on sports betting operators, including how they handle problematic betting patterns. For example, it would prohibit operators from accepting more than five customer deposits in 24 hours. It would also require operators to conduct “affordability checks” before accepting:
- Total wagers exceeding $1,000 in a 24-hour period.
- Total wagers exceeding $10,000 in a 30-day period.
The act would ban credit card deposits for sports betting accounts. Additionally, it would prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to track players’ gambling habits, offer individualized promotions, or create new gambling products.
“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,” Blumenthal said.
