Last week the World Series of Politics asked where all the regulatory wins were in the 2023 legislative session, and, around a day after it went live, Kentucky sports betting was signed into law.
As Brendan Bussmann says, gaming tends to be the last issue for lawmakers to consider in the session and this year is no different. Earlier in the session Kentucky looked like a “sleeper state”, Brandt Iden says, making it a great win for the session.
Kentucky sports betting’s passage was “a classic case of bipartisanship”, he adds, with the governor, Republicans and Democrats coming together to make it happen.
Missouri and North Carolina sports betting set for photo finish?
Next up is North Carolina, a state with tribal sports betting already live, where a bill to expand the market is working its way through the legislature.
Brendan is increasingly bullish on the Tar Heel State. He says attitudes on gaming are changing as more southern states look at legislation, with more efforts to tackle illegal gambling and introduce consumer protections.
He’s especially hopeful on Missouri, but Brandt points out the senate remains a key hurdle in legal sports betting’s passage. Could it finally be the year that we have a breakthrough?
“The Show Me State needs to show us it’s ready for sports betting,” Brendan adds.
Sports betting in Texas not such a long shot?
It was an historic day for Texas, where sports betting and casino bills have moved out of committee.
Governor Rick Perry was bullish on the prospect of mobile betting passing in 2023, but in Brendan’s view “all roads lead to the senate”. If it is able to work its way through the upper house, and garner support from lieutenant governor Dan Patrick, we may have a major state legalise.
2024 for mobile betting in Mississippi and expanded betting in Kansas?
Mississippi was quick to pass in-person betting legislation following the repeal of PASPA, but there are signs that a study launched in 2023 may lead to legal mobile betting next year.
There’s also movement in Vermont, so we’ve gone from searching for wins to dealing with a potential wave of new states. There was even a positive change of policy by the National Football League to have in-stadium sportsbooks open on gamedays. Listen in for the full breakdown of what’s happening.
