- A House subcommittee will hold a hearing titled “The Rise of Sports Gambling on College Campuses” on Wednesday.
- Sports betting will be the focus, but the lack of a witness list has us guessing on what else the hearing will cover.
- Subcommittee members hint that prediction markets and college player props could be on the agenda.
WASHINGTON – Wednesday’s ‘The Rise of Sports Gambling on College Campuses’ hearing will bring a sports betting discussion, and maybe more, to Congress.
The hearing notice and press release don’t give much away in terms of hearing specifics, but it does confirm the hearing will be held at 10:15 am ET on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 2175 Rayburn House Office Building. It will be live-streamed on YouTube from the House Committee on Education & Workforce channel.
What To Expect From Sports Betting Hearing
Clues for the meeting can be found in the subcommittee’s members list, which contains many figures involved in legal sports betting and prediction market battles. Subcommittee Chairman Burgess Owens serves Utah, where the state and prediction markets have locked horns for months.
A judge ruled that Utah can enforce their anti-gambling laws against Kalshi in August. Just a week ago, the CFTC sued Utah after Utah’s Attorney General sued Kalshi on Oct. 20.
With the meeting focusing on gambling on college campuses, the topic of prediction markets is likely to come up considering they accept players starting at 18, compared to the 21+ requirement for legal sportsbooks. Novig is one of the few prediction market apps with a 21+ requirement.
Michael Baumgartner Introduced 2 Bills Relevant To Hearing
Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development member Michael Baumgartner previously introduced two bills will relevance to Wednesday’s hearing. He most recently introduced a bill to ban prediction markets from offering contracts on wildfires, increasing the chances for predictions discussion.
Baumgartner’s biggest contribution is the PROTECT Student Athletes Act, which sought to ban player prop bets on student athletes. His press release from the bill’s introduction emphasizes sports betting on college campuses, perfectly intersecting with the hearing.
“Sports gambling on college campuses has surged in recent years,” said Congressman Baumgartner in a release. “Student athletes dedicate themselves to their sport and education, and it’s essential that we protect their integrity both on and off the field. This bill doesn’t ban betting on college sports games, but it targets wagers on student athletes’ individual performances.”
He later further emphasized the college betting aspect, stating that “We are witnessing a troubling rise in harassment of college athletes on campuses, as well as an alarming increase in cases of student athletes being coerced into throwing games for financial gain.” Expect Baumgartner to have a large role in Wednesday’s hearing.
