FILE – In this Thursday Sept. 30, 2021, file photo Zach Young, of New Haven, Conn., places a bet at one of the new sports wagering kiosks at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. Legalized sports betting continued its expansion in 2023 with six states either passing legislation or beginning to accept wagering, Fanatics got into the business and professional leagues and college athletics continued to further embrace the industry. (AP Photo/Susan Haigh, File)
Legalized sports betting continued its expansion this year while also factoring into scandals in college athletics and suspensions in the NFL for players who violated the league’s gambling policy.
Six states either passed legislation to legalize sports wagering or allowed sportsbooks to begin accepting bets. Another state, Florida, relaunched sports betting after a two-year legal battle ended when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in October in the casinos’ favor.
Still on the sidelines, however, are the nation’s two most populous states — California and Texas. Sports betting proponents will hope to make progress against significant headwinds in both states in 2024.
There was no apparent movement in California this year to legalize sports betting after two competing measures, including one backed financially by Native American tribes, went down in flames in 2022 at the ballot box.
Baird Fogel, a California attorney who works with the sports betting industry, said the key is getting the full support of the tribes.
“Remember, the tribes don’t need this,” Fogel said. “They can wait forever. That’s the trick here, what everybody needs to get their heads around. You’ve got to proactively come to them with an idea of how to get their support because without their support, this is going nowhere.”
He said the tribes could be receptive if approached correctly. Connecticut and New Jersey reached deals, Fogel said, because those states made agreements with the tribal casinos.
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