The Supreme Court struck down a 1992 Federal Law that has now widely opened the door for states to allow sports wagering. That 1992 Law was enacted under the George H.W. Bush administration for the purpose of prohibiting states from authorizing sports wagering. Supporters of that law believed that the integrity of sports world be compromised if sports wagering was allowed.

Why this case was heard and decided this way?

It turns out, this case rested on an important constitutional issue and it just so happens that gambling was to be the vehicle that the issue was ruled upon. Does the Supreme Court and Federal Government want to promote sport wagering everywhere? The answer is no. They were concerned with the 10^th Amendment which states in essence the United States Constitution basically says that any power that is not given to the federal government is given to the people or the states. Now, make no mistake, the Federal Government could enact an outright ban on sports gambling but that is not what this case is about. It appears the Supreme Court doesn’t condone or condemn sports betting. But they felt they had to rule on this Constitutional issue which they did – and American gambling proponents will benefit

What does this mean?

It means that all the individual states with have the right to allow sports betting in their state. And at this time, the climate appears to be very positive towards sports wagering. New Jersey might be the most prepared state to begin sports wagering as their laws and rules may already be in place while other states will have to enact legislation and figure out the specific rules involved. I imagine it will evolve in many states over time and brick and mortar sports wagering will become a reality that was once only reserved for the state of Nevada.

Who benefits?

Obviously the casino’s and entity’s granted licenses will stand to add millions to their revenues. But the states stand to gain too. Once laws get codified, the states will be able to collect their share through tax revenues. Sports leagues will likely attempt to gain a percentage of the windfall as well. And, of course, the gambler, or anyone with an interest in gambling stand to gain too.

Who didn’t want it to happen?

You know who didn’t want this? The state of Nevada (As well as religious zealots, sanctimonious moralists and anyone that stood to lose financially.) Nevada gaming has been lobbying against sports wagering in other states for years. And who can blame them. They don’t want to share the wealth. Yes, many Americans were still able to wager offshore but this opens up more outlets for bettors and gambling businesses alike to share in the pot of gold.

Where will this ruling take us?

There will be many people trying to break into this industry which is wide open right now. States will be ones to decide who gets licensed to provide sports wagering. As it stands now, the logical licensees will be the casino’s and race tracks that already have gaming in place. But I’m sure there will be attempts to set up gambling conduits on-line, with Apps, bars and mom and pop shops that allow sports wagering. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out.

What the future looks like?

I would think the possibility exists that there could be a backlash from the religious zealots, Nevada gaming or anyone this views sports wagering as wrong for whatever reason. They may even attempt to gain a Federal ban on sports wagering. However, I think the pendulum has now swung too far in favor of sports wagering. The floodgates have been opened and there will be no going back in the foreseeable future. Many states want this and it’s going to spread rapidly. States will figure out a way to regulate it in a way that allows them to benefit too which is to be expected. This will likely take away the fear that many Americans had whenever they wagered with the offshore books (or with their local bookmaker) which has been a legal grey area for the past 12 years. This Supreme Court ruling legitimizes sports wagering throughout the land for the first time. People will be free to make their own choices (and have many outlets to do it legally) as it pertains to sports wagering which is how it always should have been. The sports books are now open. Place your bets!