11VAC5-70-10 Sports governing bodies should not qualify as “sports betting supplier[s]”

Sports governing bodies should not be subject to licensure merely because sports betting operators accept wagers on the events that our organizations oversee. Under the draft definition of sports betting supplier, any entity that “manages, administers, or controls the games on which wagers are initiated, received, or made . . .” qualifies for this level of licensure. As written, this definition is overbroad, and can be interpreted to include sports governing bodies; however, we do not believe it was the Board’s intention to require all entities that “administer . . . games” to obtain supplier licenses.  We encourage the board to clarify that sports governing bodies do not—by virtue of their status as entities that present and oversee sporting events—qualify as suppliers by amending the relevant definition as follows:

“Sports betting supplier” or “Supplier” means a person who: (a) manages, administers, or controls wagers initiated, received or made on a sports betting platform; (b) manages, administers, or controls the games on which wagers are initiated, received, or made on a sports betting platform, excluding sports governing bodies as defined in this section; or (c) maintains or operates the software or hardware of a sports betting platform, including geolocation services, customer integration, and customer account management.