Will it be a bonanza for states and teams?
Executive Summary
Legal gambling on sports events, once allowed for all practical purposes only in Nevada, is spreading in the wake of a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision giving states the right to set their own rules for betting on sports. The market for sports betting is lucrative, with estimates of the total amount wagered annually ranging from $150 billion to $400 billion. The lineup of those looking to cash in is long. It includes professional teams and leagues, casinos, online gambling sites and state governments. But there is great uncertainty over how much of this total market will be captured by legal betting. There also is concern that legalization could feed addictive gambling and increase the chances of corruption among athletes, especially college players. And it remains to be seen whether legalized sports betting increases the overall amount of legal gambling in the United States or merely takes market share away from lotteries and casinos.
Among the key takeaways:
Eight states and the District of Columbia currently allow legal sports gambling, and several others are considering it.
Professional sports leagues are signing agreements with casino companies to partner in sports gambling ventures.
Colleges and pro leagues are seeking “integrity fees” that would grant them a cut of gambling revenues to fund policing efforts among athletes, but are running into resistance.
Resources for Further Study
Bibliography
Books
Davies, Richard O., and Richard G. Abram, “Betting the Line: Sports Wagering in American Life,” Ohio State University Press, 2001. Two academics provide a thorough and entertaining history of American gambling, legal and illegal.
Schwartz, David G., “Cutting the Wire: Gambling Prohibition and the Internet,” University of Nevada Press, 2005. The author examines what he calls “the pell-mell history of legal gambling in the United States.”
Articles
Drape, Joe, “New Jersey Embraces Sports Gambling, and a Billion-Dollar Business Is Born,” The New York Times, Jan. 29, 2019, http://tinyurl.com/
Mushnick, Phil, “Leagues leading fans down road to hell to boost viewership,” New York Post, Feb. 2, 2019, http://tinyurl.com/
Rybaltowski, Matt, “2019 Sports Betting Preview: Will Congress Enact Federal Standard For Legalized Gambling?” Forbes, Dec. 18, 2018, http://tinyurl.com/
Wolken, Dan, “Why legalized sports gambling is a win for millions of fans,” USA Today, May 14, 2018, http://tinyurl.com/
Reports and Studies
“At the gate and beyond: Outlook for the sports market in North America through 2022,” pwc.com, accessed Feb. 25, 2019, http://tinyurl.com/
“Economic Impact of Legalized Sports Betting,” Oxford Economics, May 2017, http://tinyurl.com/
The Next Step
College Sports
Bonesteel, Matt, “For the second time in three nights, a missed call has NCAA basketball gamblers in a tizzy,” The Washington Post, Feb. 7, 2019, https://tinyurl.com/
Dodd, Dennis, “Standardized injury reports face hurdles as college football adapts to new sports gambling laws,” CBS Sports, Feb. 22, 2019, https://tinyurl.com/
Gruber-Miller, Stephen, “Iowa Poll: Most oppose legalizing betting on pro sports; even more oppose it for colleges,” Des Moines Register, Feb. 27, 2019, https://tinyurl.com/
Online Betting
Anderson, Patrick, “R.I. House Finance panel OKs mobile betting, more online sales-tax collection,” Providence Journal, March 5, 2019, https://tinyurl.com/
Jones, Zack, “TheScore To Become First Media Company To Offer Online And Mobile Sports Betting In North America,” Forbes, Dec. 18, 2018, https://tinyurl.com/
Nirappil, Fenit, and Mike DeBonis, “D.C.’s representative to Congress spars with fellow Democrat over sports gambling contract,” The Washington Post, Feb. 28, 2019, https://tinyurl.com/
Organizations
The Action Network
275 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016
1-917-261-5392
https://www.actionnetwork.com
A sports analysis and media company devoted to gambling.
American Gaming Association
799 9th St., N.W., Suite 700, Washington, DC 20001
1-202-552-2675
http://americangaming.org
Lobbyist group supporting all forms of legal gambling, including sports.
Center for Gaming Research – University of Nevada, Las Vegas
4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box 457010, Las Vegas, NV 89154-7010
1-702-895-2234
https://gaming.unlv.edu
A university research center that provides scholarly studies of the gambling industry.
DraftKings
225 Franklin St., 26th Floor, Boston, MA 02110
1-877-659-6066
http://www.draftkings.com
Fantasy sports company that is evolving into legal sports gambling service.
Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, LLC
5 Corporate Park, Suite 110, Irvine, CA 92606
1-310-743-6239
https://ekgamingllc.com/
Boutique research firm that serves the global gambling industry.
MGM Resorts International
3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109
1-866-761-7111
https://www.mgmresorts.com
Global hotel and entertainment company that runs casinos.
National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling
5535 W. 131st St., Crestwood, IL 60445
1-708-389-1127
www.GamblingExposed.org
Nonprofit group teaching about the detrimental effects of legal gambling.
Tax Policy Center
2100 M St., N.W., Washington, DC 20037
1-202-833-7200
https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/
A joint project of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution that offers experts in tax, budget and social policy who have government experience.
DOI: 10.1177/237455680509.n1