Indeed, sports betting is more popular and more accepted than ever before, but at what costs? It's a question that America, like other countries with legal betting, will be wrestling with for decades to come. Politicians have proposed bans on sports betting advertising there's been a recent uptick in gambling-related scandals in professional and collegiate sports, and athletes say they've seen an increase in social media abuse from bettors.

Meanwhile, point spreads and odds, which used to be taboo for league media partners, are now as common as scores and statistics.Īt the same time, some states have experienced spikes in calls to problem gambling hotlines. Sports betting has been infused into game broadcasts with commercials and in-game advertising. Some states (Kansas) have been disappointed by the early results and others (New York) ecstatic. The betting industry is generating tax revenue for states and creating jobs.

Survey results released this week by the American Gaming Association found that 85% of American adults agreed with the Supreme Court's decision to invalidate the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, the federal statute that had restricted regulated sports betting to primarily Nevada. The American pastime is out in the open, but it hasn't all been smooth sailing. ET, on May 14, 2018, the United States Supreme Court jump-started the expansion of sports betting with a 14,700-word opinion that began, 'Americans have never been of one mind about gambling and attitudes have swung back and forth.'įive years later, with billions of dollars being wagered monthly with licensed bookmakers in the U.S., Justice Samuel Alito's words remain poignant. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserįive years into sports betting legalization: Breaking down the numbers

Sports betting industry