Biggest gambling stories of 2019 centered on regulation and sports betting

For gambling operators across the globe, 2019 was either a year to celebrate sports betting or a time to weather an increasingly harsh regulatory environment. No matter what part of the world you were operating in, your business would have been profoundly impacted by these two factors over the past 12 months.
If you were operating anywhere in the United States, the biggest gambling story of the year was the rise of regulated sports betting. Since the Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports betting back in May of 2018, sports betting has spread like wildfire in the US of A.
As of this writing, 42 states have either already legalized, or are in the process of legalizing sports betting for their citizens, according to Business Insider. Eleven US States have already legalized and they’re doing land rush business, at least during football season and March Madness. Will the novelty of legal sports betting wear off at some point? It’s tough to say but, for now, sports betting is kind in America.
In the rest of the world, particularly in Europe and Commonwealth nations, the big story is increased regulation. In countries where gambling of all kinds is woven into the national fabric, operators saw a major regulatory backlash that focused on preventing problem gambling and restricting access to gambling by young people.
These efforts focused particularly on restricting advertising, especially in-play wagering during major sporting events. In the UK, the effort to restrict play on fixed odds betting terminals has resulted in reduced revenue for operators. This is a story that will continue to pick up speed in 2020 and will give headaches to operators for years.
No matter what happens in the gambling business, 2020 is set to be a wild ride.