Senators and tribal gaming regulators are pushing to keep sports betting under state jurisdiction, resisting efforts by a federal regulator as Congress races to advance broad cryptocurrency legislation this week.
At a Senate Indian Affairs Committee roundtable on Tuesday, Indian Gaming Association Vice Chairman Tehassi Hill urged lawmakers to amend the Clarity Act to block "sports and casino gambling through prediction markets" and clarify that state and tribal gaming laws—not the Commodity Futures Trading Commission — govern those markets.
Later in the hearing, Sen.
Tina Smith, D-Minn., suggested Congress could add similar language to either the Clarity Act or the Farm Bill, the sweeping legislation that sets federal agriculture and nutrition policy.
"I just want to point out to the committee that I think we do have moving vehicles that could just clarify that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Commodity Futures Act does not preempt IGRA [Indian Gaming Regulatory Act] or tribal-state contracts," she said.
