After the US Supreme Court threw open the door to sports betting, state laws began to shape a new landscape. New Yorkers can bet at dozens of brick-and-mortar sportsbooks, and many more are poised to launch this year. Colorado is allowing multiple operators to operate online, and the state has also eliminated wagering limits. Bettors in California can place bets on in-state pro and collegiate teams.
A new wrinkle has emerged in some legal markets: official betting, whereby wagers are graded on the basis of a data feed from the leagues themselves. Some lawmakers have tried to make this a requirement of legal US sports betting, but the industry has so far rejected the idea.
The reason is that the value of official data is still up for debate. Nevada has been booking wagers without it for decades, and other operators around the country have not found much need for it. In fact, some have criticized the leagues for pushing their own data mandates as a way to secure commercial deals.
The NFL and MGM made headlines this year in the first major partnership between a professional league and a gambling company, and that trend appears likely to continue. The NBA has also partnered with DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars Entertainment. There are even sportsbooks inside NFL stadiums, and the Bears are working on opening one at Wrigley Field. Individuals associated with clubs at lower levels of the men’s and women’s league systems are banned from placing bets on matches, but they can bet on other events in any multisport competition in which they are participating (e.g., the Summer Olympics).
