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Sports Betting is now legal in USA

A huge announcement was made in the United States of America a couple of days back, with the highest legal court in the land giving the final approval to nationwide sports betting. Monday marked a milestone day not just for the US market but for the global gaming industry.

The US Supreme Court ruled that the federal ban on sports betting is not consistent with the Constitution. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was a law that prohibited traditional sports betting across all states of USA, except that of Nevada.

Now however, sports betting in all 50 states of USA will be considered legal. Around 40 states in the country already have casinos and it won’t take long for sportsbooks to be implemented within these casinos. The sports betting market was a multi-billion-dollar illegal market and is now expected to bring in a huge boost to revenues.

It was in December last year that oral arguments on the case began. Efforts to overturn the law were headed by New Jersey, having lost the initial case but the Supreme Court agreeing to hear the appeal. While most industry experts backed New Jersey, major sporting leagues and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) were completely against the legalization of sports betting.

While the Supreme Court has legalized sports betting, it has left each state to choose for itself and so far, 18 states have introduced legislation to introduce legal sports betting, out of which New Jersey is expected to be the first to begin sports books. While most of the country seems happy with this ruling, critics believe that this could lead to a surge in gambling addictions.

“The legalization of sports gambling is an important policy choice, but the choice is not ours to make. Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each State is free to act on its own,” said Justice Samuel Alito while summarizing the majority opinion.

“As soon as sports wagering is legalized, online gambling will follow right behind it,” said Director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, David Rebuck. Most would expect online gambling and online poker to be legalized in the near future as well. For all updates, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com!

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