It’s been one year since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed each state to legalize sports betting, but there is still a good amount of them who want no part of the action. Given how much revenue New Jersey has already gathered, why aren’t more states getting off the sidelines?
By the end of 2019, legalization in several Midwest and Northeast states seems to be a mere formality. However, even more states in the Deep South and West Coast don’t want any part of it.
Numerous business matters and issues from casino-operating tribes are among the challenges facing states. Not to mention, the ethics of gambling/sports betting will always be an issue in the eyes of lawmakers and government officials alike.
Surprisingly, the Deep South states have been the most unwilling to budge on the issue. Perhaps the issue is that most of their revenue would come on the backs of college football. However, states like New Jersey and New York have prohibited bets on collegiate athletics that reside within their state’s borders.
College football only makes up for a third of the calendar year. Could the states be nervous that their residents would fall into a deep hole of gambling in the off-peak time?
Louisiana is one state that has a big struggle with everyone getting on the same page. Earlier this year, a legalization bill passed the Senate but fell flat in the House of Representatives.
Republican state Sen. Danny Martiny is all in favor of legalization, claiming that people in Louisiana are already betting illegally, but they’re not reaping any of the benefits. Martiny insists that revenue would greatly help the early childhood education cause.
Opponents like Rep. Valarie Hodges say, “Gambling preys on the poor and the state should find a better way to pay for early childhood education. What we legalize, we legitimize.”
All in all, the U.S. is still a long way from having all 50 states legalized for sports betting. In reality, it probably won’t happen in our lifetimes, but someone will always be trying to make sure it does.
