The FTC should create a federal regulatory framework for sports betting

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "The FTC should create a federal regulatory framework for sports betting". Your opponent's style: Devil's Advocate

Aff

You want a federal regulatory framework for sports betting? That's actually the worst way to solve this problem—and it would create the exact opposite of what you're claiming to want. Here's the thing: we already have a perfectly functional system. States are regulating sports betting individually, and it's working. Nevada's been doing it for decades. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York—they've all built sophisticated regulatory schemes tailored to their markets. Now you want to blow that up and replace it with one-size-fits-all federal rules written by bureaucrats in DC who'll never understand local market conditions the way state commissions do. The real problem with federalizing this isn't complexity—it's that you're handing control to the feds when states have already proven they can manage it. Federal frameworks move slowly, get captured by special interests, and become political footballs. A state regulator can adapt to new problems in months. The FTC would take years just to write guidance. Plus, you'd actually lose consumer protection because you'd be standardizing *down* to the lowest common denominator instead of letting competitive states outdo each other on safety. So tell me: if states are already regulating sports betting effectively, what specific consumer harm is happening *right now* that only a federal takeover could fix? What's the emergency that justifies dismantling systems that are already working?