Texas Attorney General supports change to sports betting law

According to the American Sports Betting Coalition, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has publicly declared that the federal sports betting ban, codified by the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), needs to be scrapped.

“PASPA is unconstitutional and tramples on state sovereignty,” Paxton said. “By ending PASPA, states can rightfully decide whether they want regulated sports betting or not.”

Paxton’s was one of 18 AGs from around the country that co-signed an amicus brief that is siding with New Jersey in its US Supreme Court case about sports betting. At issue in that case is whether New Jersey can partially repeal its laws under the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, or if that law unconstitutionally commandeers states into upholding the federal sports betting ban.

Paxton and other state officials generally are not supporting the NJ sports betting case because of any desire their states might have to legalize sports betting. Instead, they see PASPA and the case as having a far-reaching impact on states’ rights.

Paxton also has been a part of efforts asking Congress to ban online gambling.