Sen. Orrin Hatch to introduce anti-sports betting bill after court ruling

Utah Senator Orrin Hatch said he will lead the charge on a new bill to keep sports gambling banned after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal law Monday.

"At stake here is the very integrity of sports," Hatch said in a statement cited by The Hill's Jordain Carney. "That's why I plan to introduce legislation in the coming weeks to help protect honesty and principle in the athletic arena."

Hatch was one of the legislative authors of the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) that kept sports betting effectively illegal outside of Nevada and Delaware. That was the law ruled unconstitutional Monday morning by the highest court in the country. The decision opens the door to legalized wagering nationwide.

Related: Breaking down the Supreme Court's ruling

Hatch, a conservative Republican, added: "we cannot allow this practice to proliferate amid uneven enforcement and a patchwork race to the regulatory bottom."

The 84-year-old Hatch plans to retire from politics at the end of this year.