Legal Sports Betting
If you love sports and you’re not sure what to do with your money, you’ll be happy to learn that legal betting is officially underway. Several states have approved sports betting legislation, and several other jurisdictions have already legalized online betting. Here’s a quick look at the status of sports betting in each state.
Maryland passed a law to regulate sports betting. The new law allows for 40 retail sportsbook licenses, as well as 60 online betting licenses. These licenses will be issued through the state’s Lottery & Gaming Control Commission. There are currently 10 applicants for these Online Sports Betting Operator licenses. One of these is Bally.
The NFL has forged relationships with betting operators. In addition to allowing sportsbooks as team sponsors in states with legal betting, the league has licensed video and data to sportsbooks internationally. This allows for NFL broadcasters to sell six sportsbook commercials per game to league-approved sportsbook operators.
MLB has been actively looking for official betting partners. MLB has held meetings with a number of sportsbooks, and is now rumored to be negotiating new deals with the industry.
NFL research revealed that fans prefer using sportsbook apps over traditional desktop websites. In an effort to reduce latency and boost the reliability of the sportsbook, MLB is considering allowing the AGO members access to official sports betting data.
NFL has also added betting lines and spreads to the bottom of its screens. It has also added a variety of gambling content, including free play games, to its broadcasts.