Twenty years after its enactment, this article critically analyzes the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in light of recent litigation and policy shifts pertaining to one of the most prominent sports gambling statutes at the federal level. Our foci are two-fold. First, we detail PASPA origins and compare it with related federal and state laws. Our legal discussion then turns to an exploration of two timely lawsuits that challenged PASPA—one in Delaware (2009) and one in New Jersey (2011). Second, we explore the economic foundations of sports gambling generally, with a specific discussion of the impact of technological advances. Similarly, we explain how integrity issues that were the impetus for PASPA remain germane today in light of rising levels of corruption in the sport gambling sector. We conclude by highlighting policy considerations at the government and league level that will likely determine PASPA’s viability and legality moving forward.
