If you’re a fan of sports betting, it might surprise you to learn that, until early this year, sports betting was allowed in only two states in America. The reason was simple. In 1992, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was passed into law.
This act placed a blanket ban on sports betting in the country in all but the states that already had legislation in place legalizing it. Surprisingly enough, Nevada, though famous for being home to one of the world’s premier gambling destinations, had not legalized online sports betting yet.
So unless you were an American living in Oregon or Minnesota, you weren’t legally allowed to bet on the outcome of any sporting event.
That all changed in May of 2018 when PASPA was deemed by the Supreme Court to be unconstitutional. But before you rush off to place your bet, this doesn’t mean betting is legal countrywide.
The Supreme Justices attached a qualification to their ruling: they said that every state should be able to decide for itself whether to legalize this industry or not. To date, only seven states have actually gone through the full process of passing legislation to legalize betting on sports.
And while sixteen others have started the proceedings, it seems that most states in the US are adopting something of a wait-and-see process.
Drawn up by the editorial team, the infographic will tell you everything you need to know about the history that led to the Supreme Court’s ruling and its current status in terms of legality in each state.
So far, only Utah has taken a firm stance against this process. They vowed that the industry will remain illegal in Utah and that they will uphold their legislation banning the practice.
But, overall, for sports betters in the United States, the ruling has come as a welcome relief. Proponents believe that making the bets legal will have significant financial benefits for both federal and state economies.
Are you ready to see if you can make a wager in your state? Check out the IG and see for yourself.
Infographic: https://njgames.org/future-of-sports-betting-infographic/
