Sports betting would generate up to US$5.8 billion in U.S.

Produced by the team responsible for leading gaming events including ICE VOX, EiG and GiGse, the two-day conference will evaluate the appetite among all key stakeholders to repeal the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which effectively outlawed sports betting in the U.S. with the exception of sports lotteries in Oregon, Delaware and Montana as well as licensed sports pools in Nevada.

Distinguished panellist, Rick Parry, whose CV includes spells as CEO of both Liverpool Football Club and the Premier League as well as being former Chairman of the U.K. DCMS Sports Betting Integrity Panel, believes that prohibition simply doesn't work. "There is ample evidence that Americans want to bet on sport and they do. By legalizing and regulating, it is possible to put in place measures that protect the integrity of sport, consumers and the vulnerable," he explained.

"In Great Britain, our match fixing concerns come not from the well-regulated European markets but from the lightly-regulated Asian markets. From a match fixing point of view, you have the worst of all worlds in the U.S. — a substantial, highly liquid, unregulated market in your own backyard," Parry added.

Vic Salerno, President of USFantasy, the Las Vegas head-quartered provider of skill-based fantasy wagering contests, believes that Sports Betting USA could kick start the legalization process.

"The question is, would you rather bet with Caesars Palace or the State of New Jersey instead of an offshore bookmaker where you have no control of your money and have no guarantee of being paid? We have to educate the legislators and the regulatory authorities on how betting on games legally will help keep the game honest by seeing where the money is being bet and tracking who's betting.

"This conference, the first of its type to be held in the U.S., will hopefully be a guide for future forums and in the process achieve the legalization of sports betting across the USA," Salerno completed.

Source: GMB