Following the Supreme Court victory in May 2018, the legalization of sports betting is now in the hands of each state. Basically, any state that wishes can legalize sports betting but there is usually some detailed legislation required before it can happen.
Following the changes in the laws surrounding sports betting, several states were quick to act and legalize sports betting. Having led the way in the courts, it was little surprise to see New Jersey legalize sports betting and some of the other states to have acted quickly include Delaware, Mississippi, West Virginia, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.
We have since seen the introduction of legal sports betting in Arkansas, New York, Iowa, Oregon, Indiana, New Hampshire, Illinois, Michigan, Montana, Colorado, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina. This may seem like an extensive list of states which now accept sports betting but there are many which are yet to legalize the activity. However, there are several states that appear close to legalizing sports betting, one of which is Connecticut.
Connecticut is set to legalize sports betting soonas Governor Ned Lamont has signed into law legislation to legalize both online gaming and sports wagering in the state. The legislation has received strong levels of support from the state General Assembly and there is an agreement in place between the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe and the Mohegan Tribe. Both tribes will be allowed to offer legal sports betting in the state in addition to the Connecticut Lottery. When talking about the introduction of sports betting in Connecticut, Governor Lamont saidConnecticut is now close to providing a “modern, technologically advanced gaming experience”,which will help Connecticut keep pace with neighbouring states.
Connecticut will become the third state in New England to legalize sports betting following in the footsteps of New Hampshire and Rhode Island. It is believed Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts have also been looking closely at introducing legal sports betting and they could soon join Connecticut by passing the necessary legislation.
On the 19th of May 2021, the Florida legislature has welcomed a tribal state gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. This will see the introduction of both retail and mobile sports betting in the Sunshine State and in doing so, Florida will become the most populous state to offer legal sports gambling in the country following the Supreme Court ruling in 2018. Sports betting is expected to launch in Florida towards the end of 2021.
Tribal-state gaming compacts to allow sports wagering has also been recently approved in Arizona. Both mobile and in-person betting is expected to become legal in the state and sportsbooks will be in a position to partnerwith sports venues to offer their services. Much like Florida, we expect to see Arizona accepting their first legal sports wager in late 2021.
Some other states that could soon legalize sports betting include Nebraska, Wyoming, Louisiana, South Dakota, and Maryland. As with Florida and Arizona, we expect to see these launch before the end of 2021.
