Top stories around our network this week
The preference at is to write about progress being made on the legalization of sports betting, and we scrupulously cover the drafting, debating, and decision-making that takes place in that regard in statehouses across the country. But it also becomes clear sometimes that for all their deliberating, lawmakers in some states just don’t want to take a step forward, so we cover that in detail as well.
Such was the case recently in Georgia, and it certainly seems it will be the case in Texas, though that big state’s legislature is giving more discussion to the gambling expansion topic than ever before. In both states, conservative legislative majorities that hold sway have been resistant to legalized sports betting, as well as other forms of gambling, and religious groups have vocally lobbied against such measures. The states have their own particular hurdles as well, such as the question in Georgia of whether a constitutional amendment is necessary and in Texas of how to address the interests of Indian tribes.
In Missouri, meanwhile, some very serious legislative discussions remain alive about legalizing sports betting this spring. The key holdup, as in past years, has been the position of state Sen. Denny Hoskins that video lottery terminals should be legalized along with sports betting. The Missouri Senate this week rejected a separate VLT amendment, and it’s unclear if that will clear the way for sports betting on its own to be authorized.
Rest assured that and its network of staff and sites will keep closely monitoring the sports betting discussions in all three states, as well as in others along the way, in addition to covering other gambling-related issues list these of the past week:
A fool and his money soon part
Lesson, as always: Premade same-game parlays are sucker bets
Stop these sore losers before it’s too late
Betting’s bad apples who threaten athletes are a threat to the whole industry
Happy first birthday, Ontario
Handle tops C$35B in 2022 as Ontario celebrates iGaming anniversary
Profs at MSU miffed about Caesars deal
Michigan State faculty petition urges school to end Caesars partnership