‘There’s no limit’: one congressman’s solitary crusade to rein in sports betting

Congressman Paul Tonko, center, on the House floor before a vote in which House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy did not receive enough votes to become speaker of the House on 4 January 2023. Photograph: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images

As Las Vegas prepares to host Super Bowl LVIII sports betting is preparing to celebrate its remarkable shift from the illegal fringes of American sports to the heart of its establishment. In Congress, one man is not cheering.

Congressman Paul Tonko fears the industry has already gone too far. “There’s no limit to this,” he told the Guardian. “You can’t have this wild west environment.” So far Tonko is a rare voice of dissent in Washington, another arena where the new gambling establishment is gaining ground.