LSB Brief: Sports Betting In Various States Aim For NFL Season Launch 08/17/2021

Sportsbooks in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Ontario are all looking to be live at some point within the 2021-2022 NFL season.
Louisiana and Maryland have been delayed in the launch of their sports betting industries.
North Carolina and Massachusetts are in legislative talks to open up sports wagering markets.

BOSTON – There has been plenty of movement in the world of regulated sports betting as the NFL season approaches. A number of states are looking to go live with their sportsbook markets to be able to get in on the betting action that only a football season can bring.

With the regulated sports betting industries that have not yet launched scrambling to do so, there are also other areas in the nation like that of Massachusetts who are pushing for legislation to be approved to get a sports gaming market of their own in the lawbooks.

Even Canada should see sports wagering of both the retail and mobile sportsbook variety rolling out before the end of 2021.

What States Will Be Live With Sportsbooks For NFL Betting?

NFL betting is the most profitable time of year for any sportsbook operator worldwide which makes sense as to why all the newly regulated states nationwide want to have their markets open in time to have some of that money stream in.

Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and even Ontario in Canada should have their sports gaming markets opened by the end of 2021. Many are slated for launches in the Fall, so while they won’t be able to catch every NFL game for wagers, they’ll be able to take bets for the bulk of them. All of these states have discussed potential delays and if they should incur any, postseason NFL games are still on the table.

States That Have Delays For Launch

Louisiana does not expect to see a launch of its sportsbooks until 2022. Too many postponements have been seen within the state to shoot for anything earlier than March although it’s possible but unlikely. The Bayou State wants sports wagers up and running for March Madness at the latest.

Maryland is in the middle of its own delays because rules and regulations for their market cannot be agreed upon. Once that’s done, the progress for rolling out their state sports gaming platforms should move fairly quickly. While they’d hoped to be open for the NFL season, they’re not ruling out having a sports gaming industry go live by the Super Bowl in 2022 or earlier.

States In Legislative Discussions

North Carolina is on a slow drip to regulating mobile sportsbooks as legislation for the market is being discussed. Advocates would like a quicker pace regarding sports betting as they see it as a market that is poised to make a ton of revenue but they’re still having a sluggish go of it.

Massachusetts continues to talk about regulated sports betting but no real traction has been made. The legislative session ends on December 31, giving lawmakers plenty of time to pass a bill for sports wagering. However, many wished going into 2021 that a bill would have been passed and implemented by now for sports bettors to wager on games and help the Bay State with the financial gains projected from sportsbooks through numerous forms of legislation on the subject.

In Other Sports Betting News

California is in the beginning stages of trying to get a second sports betting initiative on the November 2022 ballot. There is already a tribal sports wagering initiative that will be on the ballot but this new one would allow for mobile sports gaming platforms as well as professional team venues for retail sports betting locations. The tribal initiative will allow for retail-only wagers at tribal locations in the state, restricting the market.

New York is continuing to look for their two mobile sportsbook operators. FanDuel has been thrown around as being one of the two. Mobile wagering is expected to be live in the Empire State by the Super Bowl in 2022.

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Christina Monroe

Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.