State Representatives Colona and Grill are calling for the repeal of a Federal sportsbetting prohibition and have tabled House Concurrent Resolution 22.
Monday 8th February 2010
In America, a pair of State Representatives in Missouri has joined the fight to legalise sportsbetting in the US by calling on Congress to repeal the Federal Professional And Amateur Sports Promotion Act (PASPA) of 1992.
Missouri State Representatives Jason Grill and Mike Colona have tabled House Concurrent Resolution 22, which calls on the United States Congress to repeal PASPA, the legislation that prohibits all but four states from offering sports wagering.
Owing to a brief experiment with parlay sportsbetting in 1976, the states of Delaware, Montana, Nevada and Oregon were grandfathered from PASPA but this is currently being challenged at a Federal level by New Jersey as discriminatory towards the remaining 46 states. In addition, legislators in Iowa recently proposed legislation that would legalise sportsbetting in the state if the Federal ban were to be lifted.
The measure from the two Missouri Democrats calls on Congress to repeal PASPA so that states who wish to do so may share in the economic benefits of sportsbetting including the estimated $81.5 million that was legally wagered on the Super Bowl last year.
“The State Of Missouri would benefit significantly from an end to the Federal ban as sports wagering in this state would be subject to the existing gambling taxes in Missouri, thereby generating more income for the State Of Missouri,” read the Resolution.
The Representatives also claim that the legalisation of sportsbetting would enhance Missouri as a gaming and tourism destination, resulting in further economic benefits.
