Puerto Rico’s First Fully Domestic Sportsbook Opens Today

Unless Congress ends Puerto Rico’s territory status, Puerto Ricans’ only option for full rights and democracy is to move stateside. Everyday island residents struggle with the thought of feeling pushed to leave to pursue full rights and greater opportunities, or choose to stay with their friends, families and the communities they love while being subjected to continued territorial inequality and discrimination.

Fortunately, there has recently been a significant step towards addressing Puerto Rico’s status in Congress — the introduction of the Puerto Rico Status Act. This bill offers a definitive choice for Puerto Rico’s voters to achieve full democracy through either statehood or independence with or without free association. This legislation should be supported by every senator to advance equality for all Americans.

Statehood could attract more investment and economic development opportunities to Puerto Rico. Being a state may enhance the island's ability to participate fully in the U.S. economy and benefit from economic policies that apply uniformly across all states.Puerto Ricans have already spoken up at the polls demanding change. Over the last decade, voters on the island have rejected the current territory status and chosen statehood as their preferred non-territory option three times (2012, 2017, 2020). While lawmakers in Congress have been slow to respond with meaningful action, efforts made last year and this year demonstrate that momentum is building for America to finally reckon with the need to end its colonial relationship with Puerto Rico.

This momentum is possible because both a majority of all Americans and a majority of Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. mainland, support statehood for Puerto Rico.On Nov. 6, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced the Puerto Rico Status Act to resolve the inequality affecting American citizens in Puerto Rico stemming from its territorial status. This Senate legislation is meaningful because it builds on the House version that passed the 117th Congress and again commits the federal government to honor and implement the choice of Puerto Rico’s voters in a federally sponsored plebiscite between statehood, independence or independence in free association.

The lack of full equality under federal laws and voting representation at the federal level for the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico due to territorial status has drastic consequences and is unsustainable. Glaring examples include federal neglect of essential needs, such as the unjust Medicaid caps in President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which have created health care funding shortfalls for the island’s most vulnerable, and President Trump’s inadequate disaster relief after Hurricane Maria.