The Super Bowl game this year between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs will be a major day for legal sports betting — but not in the states that are home to the two teams.
Sports betting is illegal in the nation’s most populated state, California (49ers), and Missouri (Chiefs).
Gambling.com Legislation Expert Larry Henry took a look at how attempts at legislation in both states are progressing – along with some key quotes from his ‘The Edge’ interview with Gary Jenkins, an attorney and former Kansas City Police Department intelligence detective:
In California, a heated effort during the 2022 election to legalize commercial sports betting was unsuccessful, leaving tribal leaders at odds with regulated online sportsbook operators hoping to enter the market.
This year, a proposed sports betting ballot initiative already has been withdrawn, prompting speculation from industry observers that California, mired in wrangling over the issue, might remain without legal sports betting for at least two more years.
In Missouri, the Legislature again this year has taken up a sports betting measure, but its chances are questionable in part because of a stalemate over unregulated slot machines in bars and gas stations, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
With this dispute as a backdrop, Missouri’s major professional teams are attempting to circumvent the Legislature by seeking enough signatures from registered voters to put the issue on the Nov. 5 ballot. More than 170,000 signatures are required by May 8.
Gary Jenkins, an attorney and former Kansas City Police Department intelligence detective, said on Gambling.com’s “The Edge” that Missourians are crossing into bordering states to place legal sports bets, costing his home state money in lost revenue.
“We’re losing millions and millions in tax dollars,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins, who investigated Mob street rackets like illegal sports betting during his time as a police detective, said Missouri residents want to be able to bet legally on sports.
“They don’t see anything wrong with it,” he said. “They’ve been doing it with their friends for years.”
Reference: Gambling.com , link back to the original article, where you can also find additional information: https://www.gambling.com/us/news/sports-betting-banned-in-states-with-2024-super-bowl-teams
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