The coming twelve months could reportedly see lawmakers in up to 30 American states propose new legislation that would legalize sportsbetting with around eleven of these measures likely to be successful pending the favorable outcome of a case currently before the United States Supreme Court.
According to a report from Sports Illustrated citing an investigation from boutique research firm Eilers and Krejcik Gaming, states that are expected to introduce legislation this year that would permit some form of sportsbetting encompass California, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island, Mississippi, New Jersey, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia, Oklahoma and Iowa while legislators in Kentucky and Indiana are already debating such measures.
However, Sports Illustrated reported that all of these efforts could be sunk should the United States Supreme Court fail to overturn 1992’s Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which introduced a nationwide ban on all sportsbetting with the notable exceptions of venues located in Delaware, Oregon, Nevada and Montana. An ultimate decision in an action that was brought by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in an effort to abolish this prohibition is purportedly expected by June although some states are not waiting around and hope to immediately cash in should a favorable ruling be received.
“Assuming a [United States] Supreme Court decision or action by Congress permits it, we could see the largest simultaneous expansion of regulated gambling in United States history with sportsbetting in 2018,” Chris Grove, Managing Director for Eilers and Krejcik Gaming, reportedly told Sports Illustrated.
The research firm also reportedly explained that Connecticut and Pennsylvania have already ratified legislation that would allow legalized sportsbetting should the federal ban be overturned while Mississippi is arguing that its recently-passed daily fantasy sports measure additionally authorizes wagering on sports.
Sports Illustrated reported that Rhode Island, Massachusetts; New York, Ohio, New Jersey, Illinois, West Virginia, Michigan, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Indiana have ‘a good chance’ of successfully ratifying sportsbetting legislation this year to take the number of United States jurisdictions where the activity is legal up to 18. But, it purportedly explained that the legalization wait is likely to continue long into the future for sportsbetting aficionados in Tennessee, Texas, Hawaii, North Dakota, Alabama, Kansas, Arkansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Alaska and Idaho.