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Monday 24 June 2019
unlikely to welcome sports
betting anytime soon be-
cause it's difficult to sell any
form of gambling there.
Over the past year, states
with legal sportsbooks
have reported about $9
billion in bets being made.
But sportsbooks are a rela-
tively low-margin business
for their operators, who pay
taxes only on how much
they win, not how much is
gambled.
According to their most re-
cent financial reports, three
of the states with legal
sportsbooks are on pace
to bring in far less than they
expected in taxes their
first fiscal year. Mississippi
is bringing in about half of
what it needs each month
to reach an informal state
target. Rhode Island and
West Virginia are both on
pace to bring in 20% to 30%
of their expected revenue,
according to an AP analy-
sis. Even in New Jersey,
where mobile betting has
caught on quickly , sports
betting taxes amount to
far less than 1% of all state
In this March 21, 2019, file photo, gamblers line up to place bets on the NCAA men's college basketball tournament at the Borgata revenue. Washington state
casino in Atlantic City N.J. Rep. Derek Stanford, the
Associated Press Democratic chairman of
a committee overseeing
SPORTS BETTING ter way to pay for early ed- of the NFL season. ing states are reluctant to gambling activity, said he
Continued from Front ucation. Four more states are con- allow gambling generally thinks the state is not ready
It's not clear whether le- "What we legalize, we le- sidering legalization during or because of tribal influ- for sports betting, and
galization will happen in all gitimize," she said. their current legislative ses- ence. that's a reason none of the
corners of the country over Hodges' side prevailed sions, but most legislatures "As you move farther west, three bills to legalize it there
the next few years or if op- in the legislative debate, have wrapped up their the more complex the gained traction this year.
position will keep it concen- aided by a dispute among work for the year. Lawmak- stakeholder picture and He said the state needs
trated in the regions where gambling interests over ers in 18 states rejected the harder it is to get any- to work through concerns
it's already taken root. whether sports betting sports betting legalization thing done," he said. ranging from the effects of
With just two exceptions, should be limited to the bills for 2019, according to But Bill Pascrell III, a lobby- legalized sports betting on
the Deep South states have state's 16 casinos and four a tally of legislation by The ist for some gambling com- public health to figuring out
been among the most re- racetracks or also avail- Associated Press. panies, expects that even how it would affect tribal
sistant to legalizing sports able at 2,800 truck stops There are several other some states that have been casinos.
betting. In Louisiana, a le- and other locations with states where lawmakers traditionally reluctant to le- "My sense is that we don't
galization bill passed the video poker terminals. might have an appetite galize gambling will allow want to be the ones break-
Senate earlier this year but Before the May 2018 Su- for legalization, but there sports betting in the future. ing new ground here," he
died in the House. preme Court ruling that al- isn't agreement in the com- He points to Tennessee, a said. "If other states are do-
Republican state Sen. Dan- lowed sportsbooks across plicated and tightly regu- state without any casinos, ing this, we can see what
ny Martiny favors legaliza- the country, full-service lated gambling industry on deciding to legalize online experience they have."q
tion, saying Louisianans al- ones were running legally how or whether to do it. sports betting.
ready are betting on sports only in Nevada. Last year, A common factor in those The absence of sports
through bookies, offshore they opened in seven more places, including California gambling in California,
websites and casinos in states. So far this year, sports and Florida, is the preva- Texas and Florida, the na-
neighboring Mississippi. He books have been legalized lence of casinos oper- tion's most populous states,
said Louisiana should regu- but haven't yet begun op- ated by Native American leaves a gaping hole in the
late and tax sport bets, with erating in another five, plus tribes. Agreeing to allow industry. They are home to
the receipts largely ear- the District of Columbia. sports betting might mean more than a quarter of the
marked for early childhood Bills are awaiting signa- the tribes would face in- teams in the four major pro-
education. tures from the governors creased competition. fessional sports and have
"We have all of the ills of in Illinois, Maine and New Chris Grove, a gambling about the same combined
gaming," Martiny said dur- Hampshire. Colorado vot- industry strategist at Eilers & population as all the states
ing a committee hearing, ers will decide the matter Krejcik, said he expects sev- that have adopted legal-
"but none of the benefits." for that state in November. eral states — mostly in the ized sports betting, includ-
Opponents such as Rep. In Oregon, the state lottery Northeast and upper Mid- ing those where bills have
Valarie Hodges, also a Re- is working on regulations west — to legalize sports been sent to governors but
publican, said gambling with the plan of launching betting in the next year, not signed into law.
preys on the poor and that sports betting under exist- and then for the spread to Other states, including Utah
the state should find a bet- ing law in time for the start slow because the remain- and South Carolina, are