The Washington Post is reinforcing its stance that legalizing sports gambling in the United States has harmed society and has not fulfilled the expected advantages claimed by its advocates for a regulated sports betting sector. 

The WaPo Editorial Board ranks as one of the most powerful opinion groups in the nation. The third-biggest newspaper in the U.S. and the most widely distributed publication in the Capital Beltway area does not support legal sports wagering. 

In a Monday opinion piece called, “Legalizing Sports Betting Was a Bad Gamble,” the 11 editors collectively expressed their dissent against the spread of legal, regulated sportsbooks nationwide.

"With societal ills and sports scandals on the rise, Congress should rein in the betting industry,” the editorial opined.

The editorial argues that sportsbooks have behaved recklessly by focusing on regular gamblers who tend to lose more than they win. Individuals who achieve victories more often face restrictions or prohibitions. 

“Legalized sports betting was supposed to enable gambling companies to identify and weed out problem bettors. Instead, the opposite has happened: High rollers who lose are targeted and courted as VIPs, showered with quick credit and other perks, and encouraged to gamble more — to ‘chase’ their losses, in industry parlance. Those who actually win big get limits imposed on how much they can bet,” the editorial read. 

Severe Review 

In May 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that PASPA — the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act — was inconsistent with anti-commandeering interpretations of the Constitution. The pivotal ruling granted states the authority to determine whether sports betting is permitted. 

The gaming sector has successfully gained the support of lawmakers and/or voters in 39 states and Washington, D.C. They argued that legalized sports betting would eliminate the black market, generate new employment and tax income, enhance protections for bettors through consumer safeguards, and aid professional sports by boosting fan involvement. The Post claims that the excitement has mostly been a disappointment. 

“Many promised benefits, such as eliminating illegal betting, have been more modest than expected or have not materialized. State tax receipts from legal gambling have varied but often disappointed,” the editorial continued.

“Scandals have tainted professional sports. One out of three high-profile college athletes reports receiving abuse,” the opinion added. 

WaPo: Congressional Action Needed 

The Post editorial believes Congress must intervene.

"There has been little or no movement in Congress since September 2018, when Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-WI) warned at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing that ‘there are some people who will get hurt, and hurt very badly’ if Congress fails to act. It shouldn’t take another six years for those concerns, finally, to be heeded — and translated into national reform,” the editorial concluded.

That isn’t completely correct, since Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s (D-CT) SAFE Bet Act had a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month. The law aims to establish a set of federal regulations for the sports betting sector. 

They consist of a prohibition on sports betting advertisements from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and throughout all live sports broadcasts, “affordability assessments” for high-stakes gamblers, and a restriction on using credit cards to finance online sportsbook accounts.