Certainly hard to fully decipher what "they" think.
What's reasonable is to submit that "they" are currently most influenced by those who have the biggest financial interests in keeping storefront (so to speak) sports betting unaccessible to most of the U.S.
That listing would include, but not be limited to:
1) The various state governments who sell "lotto-style" gambling to the public at large
2) The legal sportsbooks and related businesses in Nevada
3) The offshore sportsbook industry, primarily those which operate in the Western Hemisphere
4) The illegal sports betting industry run nationwide for time immemorial by organized crime. This latter group is likely the most influential in keeping sports betting illegal and in the past few years has begun working in closer affiliation with various operators in #3 above.
No. Gambling on sporting events has always been a criminal act in all 50 states (varying penalties and defintions).
At the federal level, it's for decades been illegal to transfer money across state or international lines for the purpose of paying a sports gambling wager(s).
What's goofy is that horse betting online is specifically legalized in that port bill and it's legal on a state by state basis in almost every state, as is a lottery. I believe there are only 3 states in the US without any legalized gambling. It makes no sense to me why I can bet on some horse but not on the Lakers.
