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30 J. Legal Aspects Sport 142 (2020)
'Standing' up for State Rights in Sports Betting

handle is hein.journals/jlas30 and id is 142 raw text is: 





Journal ofLegalAspects ofSport, 2020,30, 142 -152
https://doi.org/I0.18060/24266
© Ryan Rodenberg



     'Standing' Up for State Rights in Sports Betting


                          Ryan   M. Rodenberg*


                            1. Introduction
In Gov. Murphy,  et al. v. Nat'l Collegiate Athletic Ass'n, et al.,' the Supreme
Court resolved one sports betting-related federalism issue and teed up another.
In  deciding the  constitutionality of the Professional and Amateur   Sports
Protection Act  (PASPA),2 the Supreme   Court  considered PASPA   vis-a-vis
the anti-commandeering   doctrine embedded   in the Tenth  Amendment.   The
Supreme  Court's majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, concluded:
The  PASPA  provision at issue here-prohibiting state authorization of sports
gambling-violates  the anti-commandeering  rule.3
    Justice Alito also foreshadowed the next federalism issue that will likely
arise in the sports betting context: Congress can regulate sports gambling di-
rectly, but if it elects not to do so, each State is free to act on its own.4 Numerous
states have accepted the Supreme Court's invitation since its ruling was released
on May  14, 2018. As of April 30, 2020, more than 15 states have moved to enact
sports betting laws, with dozens more considering legislation.5
    Certain members   of Congress have  followed up too. In 2018, there was a
hearing before the House  Judiciary Committee  about sports wagering.6 Later


  Murphy v. Nat'l Collegiate Athletic Ass'n, 138 S.Ct. 1461 (2018).
2 28 U. S. C. §3701, et seq.
138  S.Ct. at 1478.
4 Id. at 1484-85.
s Ryan Rodenberg, United States of Sports Betting, An Updated Map of Where Every State
Stands, ESPN, https://www.esnn.com/chalk/storv/ /id/19740480/the-united-states-sports-betting-
where-all-50-states-stand-legalization (Feb. 5, 2020).
6 David Purdum, Congressional Subcommittee to Review Sports Betting Landscape, ESPN,
https://www.espn.com/chalk/storv/ /id/24741786/congressional-subcommittee-exam-
ine-sports-betting (Sept. 20, 2018).
*Ryan M. Rodenberg, PhD, JD, is an associate professor in the Department of Sport Management
at Florida State University.


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