Louisiana, Maryland, and South Dakota Look to Pass Sports Betting on Election Day

The United States has seen a boom in sports betting this year between the rebound from COVID-19 and states trying to legalize the industry to generate revenue for themselves. Sports betting legislation will be even more vital for Louisiana, Maryland, and South Dakota on Election Day, as all three states have sports betting referendums on the ballot.

As of writing this, 19 states have legalized sports betting since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down PASPA in 2018. Four states have passed sports betting and waiting to launch the industry officially, and nine states have active bills looking to go through the state legislature.

The industry is exploding, and Louisiana, Maryland, and South Dakota will all try to join in. All three states have a bordering state that already legalized sports betting, so it would be key for them to vote “Yes” as they can start to generate revenue for themselves instead of people leaving for the state to go bet on sports.

Election Day could add a few more states to the legalized sports betting category.

Louisiana, Maryland, and South Dakota Sports Betting

Louisiana has the best chance to pass their sports betting bill next month. In 2018, the state passed a Daily Fantasy Sports bill by flying colors, so sports betting should be no different. The one issue is that it might take a few years before it is up off the ground. DFS has yet to launch in Louisiana, so there is a concern that sports betting will do the same in the Bayou State. Louisiana Wins is a campaign to educate voters on what the sports betting funds would be used for in the state. Sports betting should pass no problem for Louisiana.

Maryland has spun the wheels a bit in the last month or so, but they should also be able to pass sports betting on Election Day. Sen. Craig Zucker, the key writer of the bill, is confident that it will still pass. The state has had issues with language around sports betting, but they could fix some of it after Election Day. Many of the issues with Maryland sports betting came at the last minute, which has thrown things up in the air. However, polls have shown that Maryland voters are 57% in favor of passing the bill even with state lawmakers’ internal struggle.

South Dakota might have the trickiest time passing sports betting. The state has one of the smallest populations in the country, and sports betting would only be legal in Deadwood, located 26 miles from the South Dakota-Wyoming border. With no mobile sports betting expected to be in the bill, and limited locations, there may not be much effort for big names like DraftKings to enter the market. This could be a state with smaller sportsbooks if it passes.

Will All Three States Vote “Yes”?

There is a good chance that all three states vote “yes” on the first Tuesday in November. Louisiana and Maryland are expecting sports betting to pass, given the data and polling done. South Dakota is the three’s wild card as the state is not as excited to pass sports betting compared to Louisiana and Maryland.

South Dakota will have a different version of sports betting, as they are a smaller state. Sports betting will be in one town instead of across South Dakota, which does affect how the state will vote.

Overall, Election Day should see at least two states pass their sports betting referendums.