It has been more than four years since the Supreme Court overturned the federal prohibition on sports wagering, thereby paving the way for individual states to decide whether or not to legalize the activity. Since 2018, a total of 36 states have passed legislation that permits betting on sporting activities, and there is a possibility that three more states will follow suit in 2019. Nearly every state has at least entertained the idea of legalizing sports betting, but for some states, political resistance and complicated tribal alliances will probably prohibit more than a dozen states from offering internet wagering for many years to come.
States where sports betting are legal
Arizona
On April 15, 2021, sports betting became legal in Arizona. The current legislation in Arizona allows for a total of twenty licensees.
Arkansas
online betting is legal in Arkansas. It wasn’t until July 2021 that the first legitimate sportsbook was introduced, and it wasn’t until February 2022 that the first internet sportsbook went live. It is legal to place bets on teams competing at the professional and university levels that are based within the state.
Colorado
on May 1, 2020, the state of Colorado became the 19th state to authorize gambling, and as of that date, multiple operators enabled residents to create accounts online and place bets. There are regulations that must be followed for collegiate sports played within the state: Betting on the results of events is permitted, but wagering on individual players in university competitions is not allowed.
Advantages Of Legal Sports Betting
Safety of funds
A bettor who deposits money on an online sportsbook or mobile sports betting app can relax knowing that their money is kept safe because of the laws and rules regulating the business. There are no such guarantees available to gamblers who use black market websites or autonomous bookmakers.
Protection of identity
Sports gamblers will need to provide identification to compete for large sums of money at a physical location or online. The only effective method to safeguard a player’s confidential information is through this procedure of confirming a bettor’s identity. Black market websites don’t have to respond to a regulatory authority, so they have little motivation to safeguard a player’s name.
Fairness
Players on legal sites won’t be subject to ambiguous policies and on-the-fly changes, as the law requires that all terms be listed on the site and that any changes be first approved by the state’s regulatory agency, which is, again, usually the same agency that oversees all legal lottery or casino operations in the state.