For the previous 26 years, sports betting was illegal in the vast majority of the US states. There had been many legal tussles to legalize it across the entire country, but those attempts were not successful.

Finally, the victory came in May 2018 when the Supreme Court of the United States of America ruled against the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) which was previously prohibiting states from legalizing sports betting.

According to the infographic below provided by NJ Games this ruling has many different consequences. The most important one is that each state is now granted the right to decide whether or not to legalize sports betting on its territory.


Response To The Legalization

Prior to the legalization, New Jersey was at the forefront of the fight to make sports betting legal across the US. That said, it is now one of the states where you could place a sports bet legally. Others include Nevada, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Mississippi

A number of states are still working on different bills to pass in order to complete the legalization. However, Utah has decided not to follow suit, and it is currently the only state where sports betting will remain banned.

The major professional sports associations (MLB, NFL, NBA) were not quite thrilled with these events. Their main concern is that the legalization could affect the outcomes of the matches, which has already happened in the past.

For this reason, MLB and NBA asked for 1% on the amount wagered (called “integrity fee”) to monitor and protect the integrity of the games. The battle for the integrity fee is still live, as many sportsbooks and legal entities are opposing this request.

To sum up, the reactions to the legalization of sports betting have been widely varied. However, one thing is for sure – the legalization of sports betting in the US will start a whole new industry. To see the expected financial and other benefits of this industry, check out the infographic below.