Changing the Game: How the United States Can Look to the European Union to Create Effective Sports Betting Legislation in a Post-PASPA World

• Author: Nicolas T. Corbett
• Pages: 2273-2298

2273

Changing the Game: How the United

States Can Look to the European Union

to Create Effective Sports Betting

Legislation in a Post-PASPA World

Nicolas T. Corbett*

ABSTRACT: The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act

(“PASPA”), which outlawed state-sponsored sports betting in the United

States, was recently struck down as a violation of the anticommandeering

principle in a 6–3 ruling by the Supreme Court. This has opened the door for

states to finally legalize sports betting. This Note argues that in order to craft

better legislation surrounding legalized sports betting, states should look to the

experiences of different European Union Member States, where sports betting

has been legal for quite some time. The European Union has experienced

issues with match fixing, gambling advertisements, and their effects on young

people. This Note proposes two solutions for legal sports betting—one that

would maintain state sovereignty and one that would advocate for federal

legislation—that will ensure a smooth transition into the new era of legalized

sports betting. This Note concludes by arguing that federal legislation would

be the most effective response to the issues presented in this Note.

I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 2274

II.THE HISTORY OF SPORTS BETTING IN THE UNITED STATES

AND EUROPE ............................................................................... 2276

A.THE HISTORY OF SPORTS BETTING IN THE UNITED

STATES ................................................................................. 2276

B.THE PROFESSIONAL AND AMATEUR SPORTS PROTECTION

ACT ...................................................................................... 2278

1.Murphy v. NCAA ........................................................... 2281

2.State Action Post-PASPA ............................................. 2282

C.THE HISTORY OF SPORTS BETTING IN EUROPE ........................ 2283

*

J.D. Candidate, The University of Iowa College of Law, 2020; B.A., Iowa State University,

2017.

2274 IOWA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 105:2273

1.Sports Betting for European Union Member

States ............................................................................ 2284

2.Major European Union Sports Betting Issues ........... 2285

III.THE POTENTIAL CHALLENGES THAT ACCOMPANY

LEGALIZED SPORTS BETTING ...................................................... 2287

A.MATCH FIXING ..................................................................... 2287

1.The United Kingdom .................................................. 2288

2.Italy ............................................................................... 2288

3.Other Examples ........................................................... 2290

B.ADVERTISING ........................................................................ 2291

1.The United Kingdom .................................................. 2292

2.Italy ............................................................................... 2293

3.Spain............................................................................. 2294

IV.HOW THE UNITED STATES CAN USE THE MEMBER STATES

OF THE EUROPEAN UNION TO CRAFT BETTER SPORTS

BETTING LEGISLATION ................................................................ 2295

A.MATCH FIXING ..................................................................... 2295

B.ADVERTISING ........................................................................ 2297

V.CONCLUSION .............................................................................. 2298

I. INTRODUCTION

In May of 2018, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that completely

changed the game for sports-betting legislation.1 The Court delivered its

ruling on Murphy v. NCAA,2 which determined the future of the Professional

and Amateur Sports Protection Act (“PASPA” or “the Act”).3 The Act, passed

in 1992, outlawed sports betting in nearly every state in the Union.4 Four

states were grandfathered in, allowing them to keep whatever form of sports

1. See A.J. Perez, What It Means: Supreme Court Strikes Down PASPA Law that Limited Sports

Betting, USA TODAY, https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2018/05/14/supreme-court-

sports-betting-paspa-law-new-jersey/440710002/ [https://perma.cc/8KNT-8FFR] (last updated

May 14, 2018, 3:23 PM) (stating that the Supreme Court “effectively killed . . . the federal law

that essentially limited sports betting to one state for the last 25 years”).

2. Murphy v. NCAA, 138 S. Ct. 1461 (2018).

3. See David Purdum, Supreme Court Strikes Down Federal Law Prohib iting Sports Gambling,

ESPN (May 14, 2018), http://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/23501236/supreme-court-

strikes-federal-law-prohibiting-sports-gambling [https://perma.cc/LCT2-WXS9] (noting that

the case’s outcome was “a landmark decision that gives states the go-ahead to legalize betting on

sports”).

4. See id. (“[The Act ] mad e Ne vada the only sta te where a person could wager on the results

of a single game.”).