Online betting, be it sports betting or casino gambling, is the subject of much talk in the United States. That’s because a lot of states have chosen 2021 to enact their plans for legalized online betting. These ambitious few are already seeing a massive return on investment, serving as inspiration to those that are still on the fence. Then again, certain states don’t want gambling to be so widespread or can’t agree with their local tribes on how much of the revenue each side should get. Like many issues, it comes down to the very different cultures and populations of each state.
Why Legal Betting Is Important Now
But why is legal betting such a big issue all of a sudden? The big reason is a recent Supreme Court ruling. Even though casinos have existed in some states for years, the country had a longstanding federal prohibition on sports betting. Then, in 2018, the Court revoked the prohibition. States began putting forth measures to legalize sports betting, and the events of 2020 hammered home the importance of every business needing an online component. Online poker and horse betting had been a thing for some time, but the rise of legal sports betting combined with lockdowns made it the perfect time to set up online gambling as a whole.
The reason it all took three years is because enacting legal gambling is a process with many steps. It needs to pass several state government branches, then the states need to cut a deal with the tribes that control various betting organizations, then the tribes need to ready the actual infrastructure for launch in a new state.
Again, we find that this process happens more easily in some states than others. After all, different state governments are in different amounts of contention. Some might come to a fast vote on whether to legalize gambling, others might have a majority who are opposed to certain types of gambling. In New York, for instance, many lawmakers are opposed to casino games that aren’t poker. Some state’s tribes might have been more flexible with their terms, or the states themselves were more accepting of what the tribes wanted. Therefore, some states are still in negotiations while others had betting ready in time for the 2021 NFL season.
A Matter Of Money
The states that have already legalized online gambling and sportsbooks are showing huge numbers. Michigan only started this year, but its summer revenue figures are rivaling those of New Jersey, a state that has had legal gambling for a long time. It shows that, despite a state’s particular culture, there are a lot of people that want to gamble. And in the way that really speaks to those in charge, money, it shows that any state can claim big profits through legal gambling.
This speaks to states like Louisiana, which are just now activating their legal gambling plans. Louisiana was like many other states in that it was quick to vote yes to legal gambling, but took some time to actually put it in place. There were several votes over how the revenue should be spent and what exactly the rules should be. The people of Louisiana also needed to weigh in. The specifics took the better part of the summer, but now Louisiana sports betting is set to go live in November.
Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns said Monday that he’s hoping to issue sport betting licenses to @GoldenNuggetLC and @LAubergeLC within the next week or so.
— John Guidroz (@JohnAmPress) November 1, 2021
“I can’t give an exact time frame, but we are very close.” #lagov @LakeCharlesCity
For several states, the potential profit from legal casino games and sports betting is too tempting to pass up. Michigan is showing great numbers, and Louisiana is probably next to rake in the dough. However, other states have cultures that are opposed to gambling or governments that can’t nail down the rules of how it should be implemented. America is a land of many different people, which leads to strong opinions on the hows and whys of legal betting.