In May 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court opened the doors for sports gambling expansion through the Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association ruling. Justices deemed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) unconstitutional. PASPA had prohibited states from legalizing gambling on professional and college sports.
Congress enacted the 1992 law to prevent the expansion of sports wagering beyond Nevada, citing the potential of money laundering and other nefarious activities. Nevada effectively had a monopoly on single-game wagering.
Despite the popularity of illicit sports gambling, the prohibition persisted for decades.
The Supreme Court ruled that states have the right to regulate sports betting within their respective borders.
Sports betting has never been more popular in the U.S., but there are efforts at the federal level to establish uniform regulations that could cool the rapid growth. The SAFE Bet Act was introduced in September 2024, legislation that would re-establish a sports betting “prohibition” but allow states to seek approval from the federal government to offer betting.
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