{"id":110592,"date":"2019-07-29T19:13:05","date_gmt":"2019-07-30T02:13:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=110592"},"modified":"2019-07-29T20:32:12","modified_gmt":"2019-07-30T03:32:12","slug":"amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/","title":{"rendered":"Amid Chaos in Puerto Rico, Gov. Rossello Signs Bill Legalizing Sports Betting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Puerto Rico became the latest in the United States to legalize sports betting as outgoing Gov. Ricardo Rossell\u00f3 signed a bill Monday allowing it on the Caribbean island, an American commonwealth.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Before being forced to resign, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossell\u00f3 led the effort to legalize sports betting in the commonwealth of the US. He signed the bill into law Monday, just days before he will leave office in wake of a text messaging scandal that’s rocked the Caribbean island. (Image: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The bill signed by Rossell\u00f3 also permits fantasy sports and betting on esports. The new law allows sportsbooks to set up on the island\u2019s casinos, racetracks and off-track betting parlors, as well as other venues.<\/p>\n

The signing comes nearly four months after Rossell\u00f3 unveiled his proposal<\/a> for legalization, saying it would help rebuild the island that was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. Island officials say they will be the first in the Caribbean to allow sports betting.<\/p>\n

We continue to work for tourism, which will help us improve economic development for the island,\u201d<\/strong> tweeted Rep. Nestor Alonso (New Progressive Party), who served as the bill\u2019s primary sponsor in the legislature, after Rossell\u00f3\u2019s signing Monday.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To help spur tourism, Puerto Rico will offer some of the lowest taxes on sports betting in the US. The tax rate will be 7 percent on gross gaming revenue for retail sportsbooks. Online books will get taxed at 12 percent. A study published in March by Spectrum Gaming Group estimates sports betting in Puerto Rico could generate up to $62 million in annual gross revenues.<\/p>\n

The new law calls for the creation of a gaming commission, modeled after similar bodies in US states. The seven-member panel, which will include both public officials and citizens, will regulate both sports betting and horse racing.<\/p>\n

Rossell\u00f3 Resigning<\/h2>\n

While Rossell\u00f3 helped shepherd the bill through the legislature, he will not be in a position to shape Puerto Rico\u2019s gaming policy moving forward, and it remains unclear exactly who will serve in that role.<\/p>\n

The signing serves as one of the final acts for Rossell\u00f3 as Puerto Rico\u2019s governor. Last week, he announced his resignation, effective on Aug. 2, after text messages between him and other political leaders were leaked. The texts were filled with offensive language and made fun of Maria survivors.<\/p>\n

The revelation set off scores of protests on the island, demanding his resignation. Other officials, including Secretary of State Luis Rivera Mar\u00edn, also resigned in wake of the texting controversy. Due to Puerto Rico\u2019s succession laws, Mar\u00edn would have replaced Rossell\u00f3. Now it appears Justice Secretary Wanda V\u00e1zquez is next in line.<\/p>\n

However, she doesn\u2019t want the job.<\/p>\n

\u201cI repeat, I have no interest in taking up the post of Governor,\u201d she tweeted on Sunday afternoon. \u201cIt’s a constitutional opinion. I hope that the Governor will identify and submit a candidate for the post of Secretary of State by 2 August and I have expressed this to him.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Focus on Esports<\/h2>\n

One of the more unique aspects of Puerto Rico\u2019s sports betting law is that it includes betting on esports<\/a>, or video game competitions. It\u2019s a highly growing market as interest builds in watching gamers play Fortnite<\/em>, Madden NFL<\/em>, and Tom Clancy\u2019s Rainbow Six<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Puerto Rico officials said the esports audience exceeds 400 million worldwide, and by 2023, the economic impact of the emerging sport will top $3 billion.<\/p>\n

\n

Another unique aspect of the law is it also allows former cockfighting arenas to get sports betting licenses. When Congress passed the federal Farm Bill in December, it included a provision formally banning the controversial game across the country. Many states had already enacted laws banning the violent sport.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

However, it was wildly popular in Puerto Rico. According to a Voice of America<\/em> article, cockfighting employed 27,000 people and pumped $18 million into the island\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

Under the new law, any cockfighting arena that operated legally in Puerto Rico and closed because of the federal law will receive their sports betting license for free for a 10-year period.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Puerto Rico became the latest in the United States to legalize sports betting as outgoing Gov. Ricardo Rossell\u00f3 signed a bill Monday allowing it on the Caribbean island, an American commonwealth. The bill signed by Rossell\u00f3 also permits fantasy sports and betting on esports. The new law allows sportsbooks to set up on the island\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":110593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAmid Chaos on the Island, Puerto Rico Legalizes Sports Betting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Just days before he officially resigns, Gov. Ricardo Rossell\u00f3 signed a bill into law that legalizes sports betting in the state.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Amid Chaos on the Island, Puerto Rico Legalizes Sports Betting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Just days before he officially resigns, Gov. Ricardo Rossell\u00f3 signed a bill into law that legalizes sports betting in the state.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-07-30T02:13:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-07-30T03:32:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rossello.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Steve Bittenbender\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Steve Bittenbender\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/\",\"name\":\"Amid Chaos on the Island, Puerto Rico Legalizes Sports Betting\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rossello.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-07-30T02:13:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-07-30T03:32:12+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2\"},\"description\":\"Just days before he officially resigns, Gov. Ricardo Rossell\u00f3 signed a bill into law that legalizes sports betting in the state.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rossello.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rossello.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"(Image: Getty Images)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Legislation\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/legislation\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Amid Chaos in Puerto Rico, Gov. Rossello Signs Bill Legalizing Sports Betting\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Casino.org\",\"description\":\"Latest Casino and Gaming News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2\",\"name\":\"Steve Bittenbender\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Steve Bittenbender\"},\"description\":\"Steve Bittenbender covers Midwest and Gulport news for Casino.org. He also specializes in sports betting and horse racing. Steve is a veteran reporter and brings more than two decades of experience covering sports, business and politics. He joined Casino.org in 2019. Steve has also covered major collegiate and professional sports for the Associated Press and the Louisville Courier-Journal and is frequently featured on local network TV newscasts and podcasts for his horse racing business and legislative expertise. A Reuters contributor, he has also previously served as editor for Government Security News. Steve lives in Louisville, Kentucky -- the epicenter of the US horse racing industry -- with his wife and son. He is also an avid poker player, having learned from his uncle as a wholesome after-school pastime with cookies and milk. Contact Steve at stevebittenbender@casino.org.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/steve-bittenbender\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Amid Chaos on the Island, Puerto Rico Legalizes Sports Betting","description":"Just days before he officially resigns, Gov. Ricardo Rossell\u00f3 signed a bill into law that legalizes sports betting in the state.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Amid Chaos on the Island, Puerto Rico Legalizes Sports Betting","og_description":"Just days before he officially resigns, Gov. Ricardo Rossell\u00f3 signed a bill into law that legalizes sports betting in the state.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/","og_site_name":"Casino.org","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews","article_published_time":"2019-07-30T02:13:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-07-30T03:32:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rossello.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Steve Bittenbender","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Casino_Org","twitter_site":"@Casino_Org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Steve Bittenbender","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/","name":"Amid Chaos on the Island, Puerto Rico Legalizes Sports Betting","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rossello.jpg","datePublished":"2019-07-30T02:13:05+00:00","dateModified":"2019-07-30T03:32:12+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2"},"description":"Just days before he officially resigns, Gov. Ricardo Rossell\u00f3 signed a bill into law that legalizes sports betting in the state.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rossello.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rossello.jpg","width":1200,"height":675,"caption":"(Image: Getty Images)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/amid-chaos-on-the-island-puerto-rico-legalizes-sports-betting\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Legislation","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/legislation\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Amid Chaos in Puerto Rico, Gov. Rossello Signs Bill Legalizing Sports Betting"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/","name":"Casino.org","description":"Latest Casino and Gaming News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2","name":"Steve Bittenbender","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png","caption":"Steve Bittenbender"},"description":"Steve Bittenbender covers Midwest and Gulport news for Casino.org. He also specializes in sports betting and horse racing. Steve is a veteran reporter and brings more than two decades of experience covering sports, business and politics. He joined Casino.org in 2019. Steve has also covered major collegiate and professional sports for the Associated Press and the Louisville Courier-Journal and is frequently featured on local network TV newscasts and podcasts for his horse racing business and legislative expertise. A Reuters contributor, he has also previously served as editor for Government Security News. Steve lives in Louisville, Kentucky -- the epicenter of the US horse racing industry -- with his wife and son. He is also an avid poker player, having learned from his uncle as a wholesome after-school pastime with cookies and milk. Contact Steve at stevebittenbender@casino.org.","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/steve-bittenbender\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110592"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}