Regulated Sports Betting | Betting Sites That Are Regulated
One of the things we like to talk about the most at LegalSportsBetting.com is government regulated sports betting, which we are positive is coming soon. Yes, the Supreme Court has overturned PASPA (the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, 1992), finally allowing any state in the US to offer its own legalized sports wagering industry. However, most states are still on the fence about whether or not to pursue this new market, and in some states, there are even various tribal compacts and other agreements that provide hurdles (if not total roadblocks) to instituting ubiquitous sports betting. It is our opinion (based on both financial reality and the fact that people ought to be free to spend their money on whatever safe, fun pastimes they wish) that all US states should regulate their own sports betting markets. If they do not – and do not do so quickly – there is a good chance that the federal government (the architect of the disastrous PASPA, remember) will step in and foist their own sports betting regulations on the states, potentially to the detriment of individual municipalities and even entire regions.
Sports Betting Is Extremely Popular In The USA
Betting on sports has grown from an occasional hobby to one of the most impactful economic activities in the world. Sports betting is a multi-billion dollar industry across the United Kingdom and in countries such as Spain, Australia, and Macau. In the United States, only Nevada and – so far – a handful of other states (like DE, MS, WV, PA, NJ, and a few others) – offer legal sports betting, leaving billions of dollars to be spent at offshore sportsbooks. Sports betting is extremely popular in the United States, and the lack of legal land-based options has not diminished the demand for the product in any way.
According to a report by UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research, the total amount bet on sports in Nevada from 1984 through 2018 was roughly $77.25 billion. If you add in the other post-PASPA legal betting states’ figures ($1.54 billion), you get a nationwide total handle of nearly $79 billion. While this may seem like a huge handle, it is peanuts compared to the “illegal” sports betting market. As a point of comparison to drive that point home, the American Gaming Association (AGA) estimates that over $10 billion is wagered illegally (or via overseas sportsbooks) on March Madness every single year.
The same group also estimated that over $90 billion is wagered through the same avenues during the annual NFL and NCAA football seasons. This means that in over 30 years of effectively having a legal sports betting monopoly in the US, Nevada (plus the few states currently also offering sports wagering services) took in a total handle that US bettors regularly surpass in a single half-year of sports betting. In other words, at best, NV accounts for 2-3% of all US sports betting on an annual basis (though there is not yet enough data to tell how much of the existing market other states will take from local bookies and overseas sites going forward).
The figures above prove that by not expanding government regulated sports betting, the states of the US – and the federal government itself – are depriving their coffers of billions of dollars in potential tax revenue. Americans want to bet on sports, and their spending behaviors show that the activity will be continued (and continue to grow) with or without regulations. Now that PASPA is no more, it is time for states to overcome any obstacles that currently prevent them from regulating sports betting on their own soil.
Why Was There No Regulated Sports Betting In The USA?
Up until recently, outside of NV, there was no regulated sports betting in the USA. This is because PASPA, the 1992 federal ban on sports betting, disallowed state governments from being able to implement their own regulatory frameworks on the pastime. PASPA limited sports betting to only four states – Nevada, Oregon, Montana, and Delaware. These four states were grandfathered into PASPA due to pre-existing sports betting laws on their books. That said, only Nevada had legalized single-game wagering (aka full-service betting) at its sportsbooks, while the remaining three states had glorified sports-themed lotteries. After a short time post-PASPA, knowing there was no room for growth or increased profit (and due to various NCAA protests), these three states abandoned their meager sports betting products altogether, leaving NV with a monopoly.
Even with sports betting being effectively banned in 49 states, US sports fans still managed to wager at offshore sports betting sites. These sites are licensed in countries such as Costa Rica, Antigua, and Panama where remote sports betting is legal. As they operate outside of the United States, they are not subject to the limitations of PASPA or other federal laws (like the Wire Act of 1961 or the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, both of which are solely focused on service providers and not bettors). While many of these sites are safe for US players to use, unregulated sportsbooks hold no accountability to operators, are not overseen by law enforcement, and there is an absence of consumer protections. That’s not a problem for the best online sportsbooks in the business, as each of these has been operating for nearly three decades and has earned its lasting reputation on fair lines and timely payouts, but the vast majority of the thousands of available online sportsbooks don’t fit that bill and are exceedingly risky to use.
Reasons To Regulate Sports Betting In The USA
Regulating sports betting in the United States presents benefits from state, federal, and consumer standpoints. One main argument against PASPA was that it violated the constitutional rights of the states (the 10th Amendment specifically and the traditional “Equal Sovereignty Doctrine” generally). A report by the Competitive Enterprise Institute explains exactly how the ban on sports betting undermines the 10th amendment by infringing on state sovereignty. With all other forms of gambling (casino gaming, poker, horse racing betting, etc.), states have been able to determine legality and regulation. Allowing state-government-regulated sports betting would restore power where it arguably belongs.
Numerous research studies and reports have shown the economic impact that government regulated sports betting markets would have on their respective states and the US itself. GamblingCompliance, an international gaming research firm, projected that a US betting market with legal casino, online betting services, and retail betting locations would produce up to $5.2 billion in annual tax revenue. Tax revenues could, in turn, be used for education programs, healthcare, and other public services in each state where sports wagering is supported. In terms of overall economic impact, Oxford Economics estimates that legal sports betting would generate $21.9 to $26.6 billion dollars. The estimate accounts for the aftereffects of the money spent by consumers on sports betting (i.e. money spent on ancillary services and money put back into the local economies in question).
Sports enthusiasts want more legal sports betting options for their enjoyment, but there are consumer advantages that would address other issues in the industry. Many of the sports leagues have argued that the widespread regulation of sports betting would damage the integrity of the games. In reality, regulated bookmakers would be more incentivized to report any questionable betting behaviors or corrupt practices, and they would be infinitely more scrutinized as a matter of course than black market or gray market bookmakers. Without regulation, there is no line of communication between offshore online sportsbooks and law enforcement (albeit, again, the most reputable offshore books do not engage in match-fixing or betting fraud of any kind). Regulated US markets would also make it easier to handle the issue of problem gambling. The government would be able to establish programs that better monitor problem gaming patterns and also implement more effective treatment protocols.
Current Initiatives For Legalized And Regulated Sports Betting
Though the options to bet on sports in the United States are still limited, proponents of government-regulated sports betting have been taking legal action to push the agenda. The state of New Jersey wrapped up a six-year push to establish legalized sports betting within its borders. Starting in 2011, the state has doubled down on its attempts to pass sports betting laws, all of which were struck down at the circuit court level. Finally, however, NJ got its PASPA challenge picked up by the Supreme Court, which expectedly found the law to be wildly unconstitutional, thus overturning it and opening the door to state-by-state sports betting legalization.
After New Jersey’s successful challenge, the burden fell on individual states to pass their own legal sports betting legislation. Many have risen to that task with many more considering it but the process of legalizing a new industry is long and difficult. Legal sports betting means massive tax collections for states, which has become a big incentive in the post-coronavirus budget crisis. Online betting in particular is a potentially lucrative market, as demonstrated by Colorado’s recent success with its nascent sports betting market. It would be surprising if a good number of states don’t move to legalize sports betting quickly as it allows for more consistent tax revenues, more resources toward ensuring responsible gaming, and fairer rules for bettors.
Could There Be A New Federal Sports Betting Law?
It’s always possible, but federal sports betting legislation faces significant hurdles. While state regulation remains the best approach, recent efforts in Congress, such as the SAFE Bet Act, signal continued interest in federal oversight. The SAFE Bet Act, reintroduced in 2025, seeks to impose stricter advertising limits, deposit caps, and affordability checks on sportsbooks operating in the 39 states where sports betting is legal. Another bill, the PROTECT Student Athletes Act, aims to ban player prop bets on college athletes. However, both bills faced steep odds in Congress, with little momentum. The industry and state regulators will continue shaping the market while Congress debates whether federal oversight is necessary.
How Does Regulated Sports Betting Affect Daily Fantasy Sports?
It would seem that regulated sports betting would be nothing but a positive for daily fantasy sports betting sites, but that is not the case. The biggest DFS sites operate in more states than the regulated sportsbooks because many states either do not have laws against DFS or have carved out specific laws to allow it. In the states that do not have laws against daily fantasy sports, but do have laws against regulating sportsbooks (think California, Texas, and Florida), daily fantasy sites operate as a game of skill and not chance. Due to the risk of losing their ability to operate within those larger states as a game of skill, the largest daily fantasy sports sites actually refuse to operate in some states that have regulated sports betting because they may be required to operate as a game of chance. For example, Nevada does not have some of the biggest daily fantasy sites despite being the most open-minded state in the country because of the requirement that DFS sites register as a game of chance. If the DFS sites registered as a game of chance in just one state, they could then be classified that way in every state and lose access to many of their stop states.