U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on Thursday discussed legalized sports betting during an address to his colleagues inside the Capitol building, saying he has "grave concerns about gambling in general, and sports betting in particular." He said, "There’s no question that sports betting, like other types of gambling and addictive behavior, has ruined far too many lives.” Legalized gambling also poses a risk “to the integrity of the game.” Despite those concerns, he called himself a "realist" and noted opponents to legalized betting "can't put the genie back in the bottle" following the Supreme Court's decision in May. Hatch: "Our goal should be to bring that illegal wagering activity into well-regulated legal markets that can better protect consumers and the integrity of sports." Hatch shortly after the Court legalized sports gambling said he would unveil legislation for sports betting, and he reiterated that on Thursday, saying there should be a "set of fundamental standards that will protect the integrity of the games, that will protect consumers and the sports wagering market.” Hatch: "An important part of the legislation I will be proposing is improvements to monitoring and enforcement that will benefit all of the stakeholders.” He said watching the "flurry of activity” as states scramble to legalize sports wagering “has only underscored for me the need for some consistent minimum standards” (C-SPAN2, 8/23).
