Five years ago, the US Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), putting the decision to legalize regulated sports betting into the hands of the states. That decision has not only dropped millions of dollars into the pockets of US-facing sports betting operators, it’s also enjoyed massive support from the American people (unlike so many other Supreme Court decisions).
According to a recent report from the American Gaming Association (AGA), a full 85 percent of Americans support that decision on its five-year anniversary. That’s up from just 63 percent who supported it back in 2019.
AGA President Bill Miller commented on regulated sports betting surge saying, “American adults have always enjoyed betting on sports, and overwhelmingly value the ability to bring their action into a legal market, close to home. The rapid spread of legal sports betting—fueled by regulated, responsible entities—has contributed to communities and established consumer protections by migrating betting away from the illegal market monopoly that PASPA perpetuated.”
Indeed, one of the big selling points in overturning PAPSA was that it would put a huge dent in the illegal sports betting market, and the AGA’s survey found that’s exactly what’s happening. That survey found that 39.2 million Americans have placed bets with regulated operators within the last 12 months. They also found that a full 77 percent of online bets placed in the US were done so with regulated operators. That’s up from just 44 percent who bet with regulated sites in 2019.
Miller also pointed out that the $220 billion that’s been legally placed on sports bets since 2019 has generated approximately $3 billion in taxes for state and local entities.