Supreme Court overturns sports gambling ban; states to now decide

A Supreme Court ruling on Monday will make it easier for sports gambling to be legalized outside of Nevada, but ultimately state governments will have the final say.

In a 7-2 ruling, the Supreme Court determined that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) is unconstitutional. The federal law, which prohibited states from authorizing or licensing sports betting, had been in place since 1992. The specific case was brought to court by New Jersey, which is planning to allow single game sports betting and could begin doing so as soon as two weeks from now.

As Daniel Wallach of the New York Post notes, three others states — Mississippi, Pennsylvania and West Virginia — recently passed laws in anticipation of Monday’s ruling. Those three states could also be in position to legalize sports wagering in the coming months, and several other states have introduced bills that would allow them to do the same.

Obviously, there is a ton of money to be made from sports betting. Major sports organizations have concerns, however, as they want to protect the integrity of their contests by passing regulations that include banning players and officials from betting. The NBA and MLB also want there to be a fee attached to all legal wagering on their contests.

Wallach explains a lot more of what is to come in the wake of the historic Supreme Court ruling, but we have seen indications that all major US sports organizations have been preparing for it.