In many parts of the country, online sports gambling is being legalized and it does not look like it is going to slow down any time soon.
This shows which states have legalized sports gambling. (Graphic by David Patalano on mapchart.net)
New York legalized sports gambling on January 8th, 2022. Since then, it has become the biggest hot bed state for legal wagering, averaging almost $1.4 billion in handle each month for the past year according to the NYS Gaming Commission. Handle is how much money people are betting at any given time. Pete Petrakos, a Long Island restaurant manager, has noticed the popularity increase.“Before this was all legal most people would bet on offshore accounts with bookies. That was all pretty taboo, you know. No one would really talk about it in public, it was all pretty private,” said Petrakos. “But now, people are constantly talking about their bets. I try not to bring up that I bet on games because then customers in the restaurant will talk my ear off. Some guys will come up to me and not stop talking about their plays for the day.” According to the NYS Gaming Commission, New Yorkers are wagering a collective average of $396 million every week so far in 2023.
Sportsbook ads, like this one, are frequently showed during live broadcasts in states where sports gambling is legal. (Photo by David Patalano)
Maryland legalized online sports gambling on November 23, 2022 during the middle of the NFL season. Brendan Fogarty, who grew up in New York, but moved to Baltimore for work said that the legalization of sports was heavily teased before its launch. “There were a lot more commercials and they would talk about it on the radio,” said Fogarty. “A couple billboards popped up here and there so it was definitely more noticeable once they legalized it.” In its first two months of having legal sports gambling Maryland handled almost $500 million in wagers. “I went to college here so a lot of people I went to school with stayed in the area. From what I noticed, people were definitely gambling more on their phones while games were on,” said Fogarty.
Left to right: Brendan Fogarty, Pete Petrakos, Ethan Gegeckas, and Daniel Schaeffer.
Massachusetts is one of the newest states to legalize online sports gambling, starting on March 10, 2023. While Maryland’s gaming apps became legal during the NFL season, Massachusetts made the move just as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament tipped off and it financially exploded. In just its first month of being legal, Massachusetts handled $568 million, making it the third highest behind New York and New Jersey who handled well over one billion dollars according to NBC Boston.
Daniel Schaeffer, who like Fogarty had to move states for work, could tell that everyone was betting during March Madness. “It was pretty obvious that a lot of people in Boston were throwing out bets once it was legal,” said Schaeffer. “Before it was usually one or two guys in the corner yelling at the TV, but that weekend it was probably over half of the bar. I know a lot of my friends were excited for it and I was too. It’s just a lot more convenient being able to go on one of the apps myself instead of texting a friend to place something for me.”
This shows the ten states with the highest sports wager handle in March 2023, Massachusetts' first month of legalized sports gambling. (Graphic by David Patalano on Canva)
Missouri is one of the states remaining that has yet to pass an online sports gambling bill. Discussion amongst Missouri politicians opened in January and talked about at length since, but after an eight-hour filibuster by Senator Denny Hoskins, the bill was pulled off the floor. It was discussed again, but it does not look likely anything will pass this year. Ethan Gegeckas, a New Yorker who moved to St. Louis rarely sees any advertisements regarding sports betting. “On the national broadcasts I see ads,” said Gegeckas. “On Fox, they’ll show some of those deals, but there's no local ads. It's only from the national broadcast where they show that kind of stuff. They have the occasional mention of what the odds were, but it never comes from local ads.” The only way to bet on sports in Missouri is to go to the local casino, which can be a bit of a hike for some locals. “I only really bet if I’m at home during the holidays with people who are also betting. It’s a community type thing for me,” said Gegeckas.
BetMGM is one of most popular sports betting apps in New York. (Photo by David Patalano)
The general consensus seems to be no matter where you are, if online sports gambling is legal you will come across it. Whether that be on television, on a billboard, or just seeing a group of people talk about it in public. Schaeffer, Fogarty, and Petrakos all have had similar experiences living in states where it is legal, while Gegeckas rarely interacts with sports betting unless he is watching a big game on national television. The more states that pass bills to make sports gambling legal, the more it will be seen by the public. Pretty soon, something that was frowned upon for quite some time will be ingrained in American culture. “I can’t really see it going anywhere,” said Petrakos. “I’m sure that people are going to keep betting if it keeps being as easy as just opening up an app.”
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