The National Basketball Association will provide its perspective on the evolving U.S. sports betting sector at GiGSE later this month in San Francisco, California.
Dan Spillane, the NBA’s vice president and assistant general counsel, will participate in a session titled “Understanding the Evolving Stance of Sports Leagues on Legalization of Sports Betting.” The session, which will be moderated by Jeff Ifrah, a partner at Ifrah Law PLLC, will be highly anticipated after the NBA’s commissioner, Adam Silver, declared his support for a change in the laws on sports betting late last year.
“The NBA is the first professional league in the U.S. to say that sports betting should be legalized,” Ifrah said. “This is hugely important, because until recently, the leagues have traditionally been strong opponents of such legislation.
“If the NBA can lead the way for the other leagues to understand the importance of such a breakthrough, the legalization of sports betting and the protection of consumers and the game may soon become a reality.”
The session will focus on the diversity of positions on the matter from various sports leagues, and will address the concerns and potential benefits of legal sports betting while attempting to explain the link between sports integrity and the regulated market.
The session will include a range of viewpoints, including pre-recorded interviews with key players that have been produced exclusively for GiGSE. Ifrah’s extensive education and experience in the law and history of gaming will bring further depth to the discussion.
“I will be asking participants why regulated sports betting is the best path forward for the industry as well as for the U.S. more specifically,” Ifrah said. “Traditional arguments in opposition generally point to so-called ‘integrity of the game’ concerns. I will interview members of the English Premier League (EPL) who can speak to this particular issue most forcefully.
“I will also speak to leading U.S. legislators about what is necessary to regulate and license sports betting in the U.S. We will also discuss what model of regulation is most likely to work in the U.S. and what role if any the U.S. sports leagues will have in such regulation.
“Only the most important questions will be examined regarding these key issues, with the answers coming from a kaleidoscope of perspectives—from an NBA representative to key U.S. legislative decision-makers, to EPL league managers around the globe.”
