At the time that this article was written, no fewer than 30 American states have enacted some type of legislation in order to legalise sports betting. This is actually quite significant, as the United States had taken a somewhat dim view upon this hobby in the not-so-distant past. The good news is that things are slowly changing for the better. Some analysts even believe that there may come a day when online sports betting is legalised throughout the entire country.
What has taken so long for the country to recognise this pastime and could 2023 represent a breakthrough year in terms of further regulatory changes? Let’s take some time to examine both of these questions.
The Issue of States’ Rights
In order to understand why nationwide legislation related to online sports betting has encountered so many hurdles, a concept known as states’ rights needs to be clarified. Adopted as far back as the late 1700s, states’ rights was originally designed to avoid giving the federal government too much power. As a result, individual states could propose and ratify their own laws. This approach has had profound repercussions ever since.
To put it simply, some states are more open to wagering when compared to others. We can use the terms “progressive” and “conservative” in this sense to develop a broad understanding of how certain regions embrace gambling while a handful still frown upon such practices. The good news is that even stalwart detractors have begun to appreciate the benefits that online sportsbooks have to offer.
What Does 2023 Have in Store?
There are several ways in which we can classify how different states approach the concept of wagering and these can be broken down into a handful of categories:
- Real-world wagering
- Online betting
- Both real-world and online betting are allowed
- No restrictive legislation whatsoever
- Regulations pending
- Both types of wagering are not allowed
While states such as Florida and California do not currently permit any type of wagering, others seem to be “turning the corner” in regard to what is allowed. Massachusetts is a prime example of such a trend.
Massachusetts was the third state to recognise online wagering in 2022 and virtual gambling portals are slated to go live in 2023. Therefore, the number of top Massachusetts online sportsbooks is slated to dramatically increase in the coming year. The same holds true for other states including Nebraska, Ohio and Maryland.
The only remaining question involves whether or not we will ever witness some type of federal law come into power that governs the entire country. Most analysts feel that this is not likely due to the issue of states’ rights mentioned earlier. It is nonetheless a fact that local and regional governors appreciate that online sports wagering is enjoyed by countless Americans and perhaps more importantly, that this hobby can help to generate a massive amount of internal revenue. So, 2023 should witness even more positive changes throughout this burgeoning sector.
Interesting Related Article: “What is Responsible Gambling?“