Congressman Paul Tonko is calling on US sports leagues to support federal gambling safety standards he’s pushed for years or accept full blame for the next scandal.
Tonko sent letters Thursday to seven commissioners, including the NFL’s Roger Goodell, the NBA’s Adam Silver and MLB’s Rob Manfred, urging them to endorse his SAFE Bet Act. The bill, which has stalled in Congress since its March reintroduction, would impose national restrictions on advertising and use of artificial intelligence — what Tonko calls “mandatory guardrails” to protect fans, players and the integrity of sports.
The letters follow two betting scandals that have jolted professional sports and drawn federal scrutiny. FBI indictments last week alleged prop-bet manipulation and a rigged poker ring involving former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones, Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, and Heat guard Terry Rozier. Both cases involve organized-crime groups the Justice Department says exploited inside information on player health.
“The choice before you is now explicit,” read Tonko’s letters. “Either engage directly with Congress to establish mandatory federal guardrails that restore integrity and protect the public or stand in opposition and accept responsibility when the next scandal breaks and more families and lives are destroyed.”
Congressional pressure mounts
The revelations have amplified calls in Washington for stronger betting safeguards. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation has requested information from Commissioner Silver, warning that scandals like this could cause the public to “assume all sports are corrupt.”
Separately, members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce sent a bipartisan letter to Silver on Friday seeking a briefing on “allegations of illegal gambling and sports rigging.” The committee asked whether the NBA’s code of conduct adequately deters gambling misconduct and whether it is reevaluating partnerships with DraftKings and FanDuel.
The NBA has said it is reviewing “every aspect” of its betting relationships and compliance systems.
SAFE Bet Act faces long odds
Co-sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the SAFE Bet Act would establish sweeping federal standards that go beyond current state-level regulations.
It would ban sportsbook ads during live games, prohibit “bonus bet” promotions, limit deposits to five per 24 hours, require affordability checks, ban AI-driven targeting or microbet creation, and outlaw all college and amateur prop bets.
The bill faces steep opposition from gambling lobbyists, particularly over its AI and ad restrictions, which the American Gaming Association has called “federal overreach.”
Still, Tonko’s latest letters arrive as public scrutiny of sports betting reaches is at its highest point since legalization, a moment he hopes will force action before the “next scandal” does.
