Free Republic

Maryland is the latest to join a growing number of states looking to cash in by legalizing sports gambling, as Governor Larry Hogan prepares to sign a bill opening the state to sports bettors. The governor plans to sign a bill that would grant in-person sports betting licenses to several prominent Maryland sporting and gambling venues such as casinos, Pimlico Downs, Laurel Park, and the stadiums for the Baltimore Orioles, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Washington Football Team.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PAPSA) that outlawed sports gambling in most states.From Fox News: The 1992 law had barred gambling on football, basketball, baseball and other sports with some exceptions, like allowing people to wager on a single game only in Nevada. The Supreme Court ruling now gives states the go-ahead to legalize sports betting if they want."The legalization of sports gambling requires an important policy choice, but the choice is not ours to make," the opinion by Justice Samuel Alito said."Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if...

By a 6-3 margin, the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which paves the way for legalized nationwide sports gambling. States can now decide on their own if they want to offer gambling within their borders. But which states will offer gambling, and when? That’s a trickier question. Even in the best-case scenario, it’ll still be several weeks before you can make legal bets – and that’s in states where gambling bills have already passed through the appropriate state legislatures. If your state hasn’t even started considering the possibility of legalized gambling, it...

The 10th Amendment provides that, if the Constitution does not either give a power to the federal government or take that power away from the states, that power is reserved for the states or the people themselves. The Supreme Court has long interpreted this provision to bar the federal government from “commandeering” the states to enforce federal laws or policies. Today the justices ruled that a federal law that bars states from legalizing sports betting violates the anti-commandeering doctrine. Their decision not only opens the door for states around the country to allow sports betting, but it also could give...