How Delayed US Sports Betting Legalization Has Benefited The Industry
If you currently live outside of one of the legal US gambling states, then you might well find yourself jealous of our neighbors to the north, as well as your fellow countrymen who have access to legal sports betting in their state.
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Canadians have access to multiple legit online sportsbooks and casino sites that are based overseas. Canadian laws do state that sportsbooks operating within Canada must have a government-issued license, and can only offer parlay bets. However the laws remain unclear for for overseas bookmakers, allowing Canadian citizens to access overseas sportsbooks thanks to a legal grey area.
The slow adaptation from Canadian lawmakers means that the Canadian gambling industry is worth $500 million. To put that into perspective, Canadians have put $4billion into legal overseas sportsbooks and the black betting market in Canada is worth an estimated $10 billion!
The US Might Be Taking Our Time, But We’re doing it Right
If you live outside of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and a handful of other Eastern seaboard states, then you might understandably have been left frustrated over the past few years. Aside from the aforementioned, the majority of US states have been slow to get the legal online betting ball rolling since PASPA was overturned by the Supreme Court back in 2018.
However, the cautious approach looks to have been the right one, and it’s finally paying off - as by the end of 2021 we could have over 30 US states with legal gambling. By 2023, we could be looking at having as much as 75% of US states offering legal online sports wagers in some form.
US Gambling - Learning from the History of Others
Outside of Las Vegas and the state of Nevada, the US doesn’t have a recent history of sports betting, neither offline nor online. While brick and mortar casinos can be found in the majority of states thanks to the Tribes, strict laws have prevented sports betting form becoming a a part of everyday US culture.
This has allowed a black market to thrive, perhaps for too long, but it’s now quickly being stamped out. More and more states are pushing through bills to introduce legal sports betting. In the majority of legal US gambling states, things are going well . In fact, states such as New jersey and Pennsylvania can comfortably claim to have the safest and best regulated gambling industries anywhere in the word.
How?
They’ve looked to other countries with long-standing legal sports wagering and learned from their mistakes.
The Mistakes of the UK and Canada Helped Make US Gambling Safer
Having no recent history of sports betting of our own has actually turned out to be more of a blessing than a curse since the PASAP repealed paved the way for legal gambling. How? Many countries with a regulated sports betting industry in their recent history have struggled to adapt to the online shift, most notably, our neighbors to the north and our friends on the other side of the Atlantic.
The Lessons the US Learned from the UK’s Online Mistakes
The UK has one of the most long standing and well-regulated sports betting markets in the world. Its regulator body, the UKGC, has kept the industry well in check for decades now.
However, they have struggled to keep up with the rapid changes that the online shift has brought. This has lead to them coming under fire from the UK government, resulting in a review that took place over the early months of 2021.
You can check out our blog on the 5 lessons the US can learn from the UK gambling industry here!
What’s the Deal With Canada?
Canada’s dated gambling laws have allowed licensed bookmakers based in liberal gambling havens such as Malta, Gibraltar and Curacao to swoop in and legally market themselves to Canadian citizens. Canada is now trying to introduced new laws to create a province by province sports betting industry to reclaim some of the market, but progress is slow.
The US - Creating a Sports Betting Industry in the Digital Age
The success of sports betting in the US states that have legalized it can be attributed to the delayed green light, which allowed lawmakers in states like New Jersey to learn from the mistakes made by the likes of the UK and Canada.
Our cousins to the North and Across the Pond have struggled to update their laws quick enough to adapt to the age of the internet. Meanwhile, US states have been afforded the privilege of being able to map out their legal gambling rules and regulations in a way that’s tailor-made for the online world.
The Result? A better regulated online sports wagering product that’s safer and more secure for those who use it.
Is Canada About to Follow the US Model?
The biggest sign that the legalization of online sports wagering in some US states has been a success story thus far, is that Canada is now looking to emulate the US model. Canadaian law makers are currently in the process of trying to push through a bill that would legalize single sports wagers both in person and online.
If passed, it would then be implemented on a province by province basis - just as the US is doing so on a state by state basis. Canada does have legalized and internally regulated parlay sports bets, but that offers little value, even to the most casual sports betting fan.
Is Sports Betting Legal in Your US State?
If you’re unsure about the current status of legal sports betting where you are, then you can check out the map here at CaptainGambling.com. Our map show the legal gambling status of each US state as things currently stand.
If legalized sports betting hasn’t yet arrived in your US state, it could very well be on its way. Find out if your state is on our list of states most likely to legalize sports wagering in 2021. If legal gambling in any shape or form is headed your way, CaptainGambling will be the first to let you know!
Have Any Questions for Our Experts?
If you have any doubts or questions that you need answered regarding the current US gambling laws, then don’t hesitate to get in touch or let us know. Our experts will get back to you with a definitive answer as quick as we possibly can. If you’re question raises an important issue, we might even run full blog article to address it!
