Thirty nine states and some territories have sports gambling.
Residents in the state of Georgia cannot legally bet on sports events like the NCAA’s Men’s College Basketball Tournament or every day sports contests or even the Masters’ golf event which takes place in the state during the first week of April in Augusta. And it is very likely that Georgia residents will not be able to bet in the state for the foreseeable future. Members of the Georgia House of Representatives could not get a measure to the floor which would have been the first step in the process that would eventually have them ask voters for final approval of Georgia sports betting.
Atlanta area sports franchise owners want sports gambling in the state as sports owners have been able in some instances to partner with gaming companies or have sports betting within the vicinity of sports venues. The state of Georgia is not alone in failing to get a sports gambling bill passed this year. In Minnesota, lawmakers could not figure out a way to move forward with a sports gambling plan. Of course, no never means never and politicians in Georgia and in Minnesota will continue to try to get sports gambling legislation passed. The Supreme Court of the United States legalized sports gambling in 2018. There are 39 states along with the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico that have legalized sports betting. Gamblers in the United States Virgin Islands can legally bet on sports online by using international online sportsbooks. Eleven states do not have legalized sports betting and one of those states, Utah, is not going to consider it. Prior to 2018, the National Football League fought every attempt to legalize sports gambling outside of Nevada. Now the NFL and every American-based sports league embraces it because it makes money for sports owners.
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Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com
