It used to be a lot more difficult to wager on sports in the United States. It wasn’t that long ago that a person had to know someone who knew someone else who was a bookie to place a bet on a game or a player achieving a certain milestone. The process turned a lot of people off to gambling, because it was inconvenient and perhaps felt a little risky dealing with shadowy characters.
As we know, that is no longer the reality, as it is extremely easy to place a bet while in the comforts of home, or on the move running errands. US online gambling sites reviewed at American Gambler are a good place to start for anyone who is new to the sports gambling scene.
While there are certain states like New Jersey which restrict the options for gambling on amateur sports, most states will allow users to place wagers on college sporting events without reservation. It’s interesting that the state has been so reluctant to embrace this corner of the market, as it is not uncommon for some of the schools there to have successful years and garner significant betting interest.
This shows that there is still some hesitancy on the part of certain lawmakers and people in general to allow adults with deep pockets to potentially influence the outcomes of games that kids are playing in. If one had to guess, the sanctity of kids playing for fun is what is likely being protected. A precedent could be set in which legal gambling trickles down to sporting events for children in high school, and perhaps even younger.
Even though New Jersey gets attention for its parameters around sports gambling, there are still many states that have not legalized it yet. Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, Texas and Utah are five states who do not permit it within their borders. Considering the plethora of talented programs and professional teams Alabama, Georgia and Texas have, this lack of embracement is a bit surprising considering the potential revenue it could generate. Local websites would be able to earn advertising money from sportsbooks looking to make a dent in smaller communities, for example.
As we enter the final months of 2022 and head into 2023, there are a few states who will open their arms up to sports betting. Massachusetts passed legislation in August 2022 to legalize sports betting, and this is expected to launch early next year. However, they will utilize similar guidelines as New Jersey to start, as wagering on collegiate sports taking place in the state will not be allowed.
Florida has technically given the green light for sports betting, but they haven’t actually launched this just yet. There are still hurdles to overcome regarding a trial between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe before things can be advanced.
From a platform competition perspective, there are some new players that will be joining the fray early next year. Fanatics, which is well regarded as a retail giant in the sports apparel industry, will be expanding its business by launching a sportsbook in January 2023. This is interesting timing, considering that the NFL regular season will be in its final weeks, with the much anticipated playoffs set to begin later in the month.
With so much competition and other platforms that are more entrenched in the landscape to choose from, Fanatics’ progress in the market will be interesting to monitor. Will fans be interested in running to a new sportsbook when they’ve been loyal customers of another platform for years?
One thing to note about Fanatics’ initial launch plan is that it does not plan to be available to bettors in New York. This is because the state taxes winnings at the highest clip of any state which has legalized gambling, at 51%. Other “major” states, as CEO Michael Rubin put it, will have the ability to bet via Fanatics.
