Americans Have Legally Bet $220 Billion on Sports Since 2018

More than $220 billion has been placed on legal sports bets in the U.S. in the five years since the Supreme Court allowed states to offer regulated sports betting, according to the AP.

Sunday will mark the fifth anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) on May 14, 2018. More than 30 states have moved to legalize sports betting since then, resulting in more than $3 billion in taxes collected from federal and state governments. 

The AP cited its $220B handle from the American Gaming Association, which also reported $125B being wagered by Americans at the four-year mark of PASPA’s overturning. 

Several U.S. betting scandals have emerged in the early days of legal sports betting, including the ongoing investigation around suspicious wagering activity on a University of Alabama baseball game. Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannan was fired last week, and sportsbooks in several states were ordered to stop taking bets on Alabama baseball. Iowa gambling officials are investigating the University of Iowa baseball team for possible violations.

In April, the NFL suspended five players for violating the league’s gambling policy after star wide receiver Calvin Ridley missed the entire 2022 season for betting on NFL games. 

The NBA 2K League, the esports league co-owned by the NBA that launched in 2018, indefinitely suspended six players and a coach for wagering violations on league games.

The NBA and NFL are part of the newly formed Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising, launched last month to monitor how sports betting is promoted to fans. Other leagues to join the group include MLB, MLS, NASCAR, the WNBA, and NHL, as well as broadcasters NBC and FOX.