Louisiana, Maryland, South Dakota: Who Passes Sports Betting Today?
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Happy election day! Today is a big day for America, but a bigger day for Louisiana, Maryland, and South Dakota. All three states have sports betting bills that will be voted on to determine whether they will join others in legalizing sports betting.
The odds that all three states will legalize the new industry has somewhat of a chance of happening. Some have a better chance than others in legalizing sports betting, but anything is possible on election day.
All three states have campaigns to try and legalize sports betting, and they will all be put to the test on how effective they are. Here are the chances that each state has with legalizing sports betting.
Louisiana
Louisiana has the best chance to pass sports betting today. The state will also do it differently than others as each parish will vote on whether they want sports betting legalized. What helps Louisiana today is that the state legalized daily fantasy sports in 2018 when 47 of the 64 parishes voted in favor of the industry. Louisiana has also campaigned to educate voters that sports betting revenue would be invested in the state’s schools.
If DFS was able to pass, then sports betting should pass today as well. The only issue Louisiana will have is when sports betting will be allowed to start in the state. DFS was passed in 2018, but the industry has yet to launch in Louisiana as lawmakers continue to debate how it should be regulated. The same issue could happen with sports betting.
Maryland
Maryland is next on the list to decide whether or not the state should legalize sports wagering. Sports betting in Maryland had a lot of support early on when the bill was going through the state legislature. However, that has slightly changed in the last few months as sports wagering rules are not as clear as some thought originally.
This has slowed down support with multiple rules and regulations still up in the air. This is causing partnership among lawmakers as it is also now trickling down to voters. With the support early on in favor of sports betting, there is still a chance the industry moves forward, and the state can tweak the regulations before officially launching around an expected launch date of September 2021.
South Dakota
South Dakota might have the toughest time passing sports betting on Election Day. Lawmakers in South Dakota had a tough time getting a sports betting bill through the state Congres, and it failed once in the House before having it pass on the second try. Sports betting would also only be legal in Deadwood, where commercial casinos are located, and there would be no online sports betting in the deal.
South Dakota is close to a 50/50 split on sports betting, but if it is passed, then there is a chance that betting can be available across the state. Tribal gaming groups are already looking into launching sports betting at its casinos, even if the state will not have statewide sports betting. South Dakota will need all the help they can get from voters today to launch the new industry.
