NCAA President Charlie Baker and NFLPA representative Johnson Bademosi “urged Congress to rein in the sports betting industry at a Senate hearing Tuesday, calling for federal legislation to combat gambling addiction and abuse of athletes,” according to Purdum & Surendran of ESPN.com. Baker and Bademosi “spoke about the increasing harassment athletes face from bettors in the stands and on social media.” Bademosi noted the “insidious effect” that sports betting has on the mental health of players and fans. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) “asked for backing” for the Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet Act, or SAFE Bet Act, which would create minimum federal standards to regulate gambling companies. That includes “a ban on prop bets, or bets on an individual athlete’s performance, and prohibiting sports betting companies from advertising during live sporting events.” He also sponsored the Gambling Addiction Recovery, Investment and Treatment Act, which would “create a federal tax on gambling to fund addiction treatment.” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) “raised concerns about match-fixing, especially as the U.S. prepares to host the World Cup in 2026 and the Summer Olympics in 2028.” The American Gaming Association, which represents the casino industry in the U.S., said that it “was not invited to testify at the hearing” (ESPN.com, 12/17). 

MAJOR ISSUE: In N.Y., Jenny Vrentas wrote that these issues being “debated by one of the most powerful Senate committees, albeit during a lame-duck session, speaks to the rapid rise of the sports betting industry in the United States.” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said, “There is a feeling on both sides of the table that we need to address this.” Despite “industry opposition,” Durbin said after the hearing on Tuesday that he saw “openings and opportunities” for federal regulations. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said that he “would be ‘very open’ to an independent commission tasked with putting together guardrails that states would have to operate within” (N.Y. TIMES, 12/17). NPR.org’s Becky Sullivan wrote Blumenthal’s bill has “little chance of passing before the current session of Congress concludes in January.” But Blumenthal and the bill’s co-sponsor, Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) are “both set to return to Congress next year” (NPR.org, 12/17). 

GETTING OFF TRACK: NEWSWEEK’s Sonam Sheth noted Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) got into a “heated exchange” with Baker about “transgender athletes competing in sports” during the hearing. Transgender rights have “become a lightning rod for Republicans in recent months as GOP lawmakers double down on their push to ban transgender athletes from participating in some sports.” When it was Hawley’s turn to question Baker on Tuesday, he “grilled the NCAA president about whether ‘biological men’ should be allowed to play in women’s sports.” Baker said there have “been five cases in federal court in the past 18 months” and “in all five of them, federal judges sided with participation” (NEWSWEEK, 12/17). IGAMING BUSINESS’s Jill Dorson noted Hawley and Sen. John Kennedy (R- La.) “hijacked” the hearing to “push forward a different agenda.” The issue of transgender participation is “fraught for college administrators, coaches and athletes.” Baker said that there is “no federal mandate about whether or not a transgender player should be allowed to play” (IGAMING BUSINESS, 12/17).