Richard Esquinas featured in The Hill's "Keeping Score"

Lawmakers zero in on sports gambling regulation as scandals boom

Published May 18th, 2026

'Some see stricter congressional oversight of sports leagues and gambling companies as long overdue.

Richard Esquinas, a former San Diego businessman and high-stakes gambler who wrote a book about his experience gambling on the golf course with NBA legend Micheal Jordan, spoke with the Senate panel ahead of Wednesday’s hearing.

A former executive director of the NCAA Academic-Athletic Advisor Program, Esquinas said the focus for lawmakers should be to “work with the NCAA to create lasting reform that starts at the collegiate level and runs all the way up to the professional sports industry.”

“We have an opportunity to work together to reform a very broken pro sports gambling empire which focuses on economic gain and has lost sight of ethical practices,” he said.'