Research Brief: State Legislative Update on U.S. Sports Betting & Online Gaming November 2020
While the national scene continues to sort through its trials and tabulations at the presidential level, the 2020 Election saw a great deal of success for gaming at the ballot box. Gaming was featured on the ballot in six states, with five of those having direct implications to sports betting. As will be highlighted later on in this brief, this continues to show that taking measures to the ballot is a method that operators, legislators, and regulators should not shy away from. The key is having the proper education campaign on the positive impacts of sports betting, as well as being prepared to provide answers to the naysayers.
While this applied well to sports betting and to a lesser extent brick and mortar operations, the future for iGaming may not have the same success unless an effective education campaign is run. iGaming brings in a different element to the ballot and legislative conversation, and it is one that will be tested in the coming months as every state legislature meets in 2021. Passage of sports betting measures is often easier when voters can often turn on their television, radio, or social media apps and discuss the line, just as one would discuss how well or how poorly a quarterback is playing in any given football game. iGaming is a more challenging sell, as this is viewed more similarly to a traditional slot machine or a table game directly in the hands of consumers, and legislators need to know that the right measures would in place for financial and consumer protections.
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