Former Gambling Addict, NCAA Chief Among Key Witnesses At Senate Sports Betting Hearing

The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary is holding a full hearing on “America’s High-Stakes Bet on Legalized Sports Betting Tuesday.

The hearings, which are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., will include:

Harry Levant, a former attorney who developed a crippling gambling problem that led to him stealing over $2 million from friends, family, and clients. He was sentenced to 23 months probation, went back to school, and got a master’s degree in professional clinical counseling. He is also the founder of the Ethical Gambling Reform Group and is firmly behind the SAFE Bet Act, which would, among other things, ban prop bets on college sports and demand affordability checks of anyone looking to bet over $1,000. 

Keith Whyte, the executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling. Whyte’s group is agnostic on the topic of gambling, and it is pushing the GRIT Act, which it helped craft and which has the support of many in the gambling community, including Underdog.

Charlie Baker, the president of the NCAA, who has called for a national ban on prop bets involving college athletes. “Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity and competition and leading to student athletes and professional athletes getting harassed,” Baker said last March. “The NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats and many are responding by banning college prop bets.”

David Rebuck, the former head of New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement who oversaw New Jersey first legalizing iCasino in the state before overseeing the rollout of sports betting post-PASPA. He has worked with over two dozen states in their efforts to roll out iGaming, sports betting, or both. He recently joined the consultant group IC360 as a special adviser.

Lastly, former NFL player Johnson Bademosi will be testifying, representing the NFLPA. The cornerback and special teamer played with six NFL teams during his career, which started in 2012. 

Not exactly fans

Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) will be running the hearing, and a handful of members of the committee have not exactly been boosters of sports betting.

Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) leads the SAFE Bet Act in the Senate. 

Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Peter Welch (D-VT) sent a letter to the FTC calling for an investigation into FanDuel and DraftKings over antitrust concerns.

Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) wrote to the Department of Justice about match-fixing at amateur levels and its connection to betting.

Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Blumenthal sent a letter to the CFTC requesting a ban on election betting.

Tom Cotton (R-AR) has proposed legislation in the past to stop banks from processing online gambling payments.

Casino Reports will have full coverage on Tuesday during and after the hearing.