Sports betting has been a popular pastime for many years, but it wasn’t until recently that it was legalized in many states. In 2023, the trend of legalizing sports betting continued, with more states joining the movement. Despite this progress, there were still some key states that resisted the expansion of legalized sports betting.
In the United States, sports betting is regulated by individual states. While some states have legalized sports betting, others have yet to do so. In 2023, several states passed legislation to legalize sports betting, including New York, Illinois, and Tennessee. This brought the total number of states with legalized sports betting to 25.
Despite this progress, there were still some states that resisted the expansion of legalized sports betting. These included Texas, Pennsylvania, and Florida. In Texas, lawmakers argued that sports betting would lead to an increase in gambling addiction and other social ills. In Pennsylvania, lawmakers argued that sports betting would be too difficult to regulate. In Florida, lawmakers argued that sports betting would be too costly to implement.
Despite the resistance from these key states, the expansion of legalized sports betting continued in 2023. This was due in part to the success that other states had seen with legalized sports betting. For example, New Jersey had seen a significant increase in tax revenue since legalizing sports betting in 2018. This success had encouraged other states to follow suit and legalize sports betting.
Overall, 2023 saw a significant expansion of legalized sports betting, despite resistance from key states. This expansion was largely driven by the success that other states had seen with legalized sports betting. As more states continue to legalize sports betting, it is likely that the resistance from key states will eventually fade away.