AGA says repeal could happen before 2020; Penn. house committee approves betting bill

Twice weekly, we’ll comb through as many articles, tweets and podcasts as we can find related to the world of sports betting and daily fantasy sports, and publish the good stuff here. 

Stumble upon something you think we should include? Email info@bettingtalk.com.

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American Gaming Association President Geoff Freeman said he thinks proponents of the federal sports betting ban could succeed in a repeal within the first term of Donald Trump’s presidency.

“In terms of how quickly can we get PASPA repealed, I think we’re looking at getting that done during the first term of this Trump administration,” Freeman said. “Everything I’m seeing, everything we’re doing and that our allies are doing, leads me to be confident that we can get this done.”


An article published by the New York Times Magazine asks if legalized sports betting would “save us from the insufferability of fantasy sports.”

We’ve long since normalized the horror of listening to someone telling you about the tragedy that befell a fantasy team, but if that talk were instead about whether the Cowboys were going to cover the spread, wouldn’t that conversation come closer to the actual, idealized point of the game? There are hundreds of reasons that a team might win a football game by, say, 10 or more points. Each one requires you to consider offenses, defensive schemes or, at the very worst, minor details like the rumors about the quarterback’s recent trip to Cabo San Lucas or what your equipment-manager cousin told you about the impact of last night’s rain on turf conditions — and every such discussion beats talking about your fantasy squad. If Bradley wanted fans to root based on the play of their favorite team, he banned the wrong pastime.


Pennsylvania’s sports betting legalization bill was unanimously approved by the House Gaming Oversight Committee and will move on to the next vote.

“I believe our commonwealth is uniquely positioned to oversee sports betting in all its forms and should be ready to take action should the federal ban be lifted,” Matzie, D-16, Ambridge, said in a statement after the vote on Tuesday.

Casino gambling is “thriving” in Pennsylvania, Matzie said, and legal sports betting “will simply enable Pennsylvanians to participate in — and our commonwealth to regulate — a multi-million dollar industry that already exists.”

Sports betting would be allowed in Pennsylvania casinos and off-track betting sites under House Bill 519, which Matzie introduced Feb. 15. State Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Perryopolis, is a co-sponsor on the bill.


New Jersey’s senators sent a letter to the NCAA asking them to reconsider their decision to not host championship events in the state.

We are not asking that the NCAA change its prohibition on sports wagering for student-athletes, coaches, or administrators,” wrote U.S. Sens. Robert Menendez and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Catherine Cortez Masto, a Nevada Democrat whose state allows sports betting.

“However, we are requesting that the NCAA board of directors re-evaluate its position on sports wagering and site selection for championship play.”

The letter was sent Tuesday to the NCAA board.

“College sports fans largely ignore the prohibition, and instead they bet using offshore and illegal sports books,” the senators wrote. “Far from preventing sports wagering, a prohibition on sports betting simply encourages people to wager through high-risk and unregulated means.”

New Jersey lawmakers have sought to pass legislation that gets around a 1992 federal law that banned sports betting everywhere except Nevada, Delaware, Montana and Oregon.


This March, Nevada broke its record for the amount of money bet on basketball in a single month.

A record $439.5 million was wagered on basketball, both college and professional, last month, according to numbers released Wednesday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

The books kept a record $41.2 million of the amount bet on basketball, shattering the previous mark set in March 2015 by more than $13 million and making March 2017 by far the most lucrative basketball month ever for the house.


Pinnacle published an article listing eight “must-follow” Twitter accounts for MLB bettors.

 Twitter is a powerful tool for the baseball bettor seeking top-notch information to increase their betting profits. Keep away from the noise. Here are the eight must-follow accounts for MLB bettors who are after serious winnings.