One state just opened for business in regards to legalized sports betting and two more are expected to follow suit … and soon.
That’s the feverish climate that we’re in when it comes sports betting being legalized in the United States.
On Monday afternoon, Rhode Island officially became a legalized sports-betting state, with the third floor of the Twin River Casino beginning to take wagers. (Just in time for the Monday Night Football game between the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans). Casino officials told local WPRI that Twin River Casino will offer roughly 100 seats and upwards of 100 TVs for sports bettors to usher in the landmark day in style and for use thereafter.
WPRI additionally reported that Rhode Island will receive 51 percent of the revenue that derives from sports gambling.
While legalized sports betting is officially underway in Rhode Island, at least one major sports team owner believes that two more states are in line to follow suit and that it’s just a matter of time before they, too, become legalized sports-gambling states.
“We have a law that was passed just recently and it has not yet hit the Carolinas, the whole gambling aspect,” said David Tepper during his initial press conference as the new owner of the Carolina Panthers, as reported by Forbes. “You think about the fans and you want to keep the fans in the building. Eventually, it’s going to hit North and South Carolina. It has to, from a revenue standpoint. You have issues with paying teachers and other things down here, and tax revenue, so it’s inevitable.”
ESPN’s “State-by-State Sports Betting Bill Tracker” lists Pennsylvania as an “already there” state, as the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course booked its first legal sports bet earlier this month. Arkansas could be next, as it approved a constitutional amendment (Issue 4) earlier this month for sports betting in the state as well.
ESPN’s tracker also lists New York as being in the “on-deck circle” to becoming a legalized sports-betting state as well.
A glance at New Jersey’s early success with legal sports gambling would help to explain other states’ rush to legalize sports betting. Last month, “The Garden State” recorded upwards of $260 million in sports wagers, as reported by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. Revenue from those wagers were $11.6 million for October.
