Winners & Losers: Will Sports Betting Become Illegal in the US?

This past July, a pretty sharp guy I know, a veteran advantage player who’s done it all when it comes to beating casino games, was railing against online sports betting in the US.

I found his tirade to be a little weird. He couldn’t say enough bad things, stopping just short of declaring internet wagering to be the root of all things evil in America.

And this was coming from a guy who made a fortune on the backs of degenerate gamblers who kept casinos flush with cash that he and his teams were able to fleece via a passel of advantage plays.

The $100,000 Bet

He then got all ‘Amazing Criswell’ on me. The casino guru started talking about how the US government was going to shut down the very sports betting that it made legal (or at least not illegal) in 2018.

I might have laughed out loud at all of this.

That was when, maybe a bit piqued, he said, “I’ll bet you $100,000 that in 10 years online sports betting will be completely illegal in the US.”

Will Sports Betting Become Illegal?

Now I’m glad that I didn’t take the bet. This past week, I noticed rumblings from politicians who are agitating to curb online sports betting in the United States.

If they get their way, anti-gambling moves seem unlikely to stop there, no matter how daunting it might be to reverse the law.

A politician from New York, where I live, has made the point that “every single solitary moment of every sporting event across the globe has become a betting opportunity.”

Well, yeah. Recreational gamblers love that fact. But the politician was playing it up as a negative.

Taking a darker tack, another lawmaker talked about his son considering suicide because he couldn’t stop gambling online. Obviously, that is horrible.

I know all too well that gambling entities are relentless at marketing to good customers – i.e., losers – so, if you are a losing bettor, you will be wooed.

Anti-Gambling Groups

Despite that, so far, the anti-gambling factions are not trying to shut down the FanDuels of the world – as the $100,000 guy predicts will happen – but they are trying to tamp them down.

Given their druthers:

Advertising will be minimized.
Fewer deposits over the course of a day will be allowed.
Promotions will be reduced.

Look, I’m a guy who likes the fact that gambling is legal, convenient and relatively above board. But I do grudgingly get what they are saying. All those ads and promises that we see in the States can get annoying.

A Word from the American Gaming Association Lobby

However, I also find myself hearing the words of the obviously biased government relations guy from the American Gaming Association.

He makes the point that legalized betting keeps people from getting involved with illicit bookies who have shadowy ties.

The reality is that Americans who want to bet on games will do it where they can and if they must turn to the illegal guy, they will.

Limiting deposits and slowing down action will likely benefit those on the illegal side – who are particularly risky to problem bettors because they take wagers with no money upfront and settle up later.

It sounds great until you can’t afford the settle-up. Then things take on a Sopranos-style vibe.

America can be weird and puritanical even when it comes to safe online casinos, while the Brits somehow seem to have it right.

Betting shops there have long been as much a part of the culture as tepid beer and, somehow, neither seems to get anyone too worked up.

Meanwhile, I hope my AP friend managed to get somebody to take his $100,000 wager. As things are now beginning to look, betting on not being able to bet, with him essentially playing the don’t, might become
increasingly tough to draw action on.