The floodgates are open, but it may take a little time for the water to get through.
In the immediate aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling that paves the way for states to adopt sports wagering, a sports media executive with knowledge of the overall betting landscape and dynamics has predicted to PFT that six to 10 states will have sports betting programs in place before the NFL regular season begins.
With sporting events happening virtually every day, any delay results in money being lost. That’s why states like West Virginia were wise to adopt a sports wagering bill before the Supreme Court decision (but will be the opposite of wise if it wedges a money-for-nothing “integrity fee” onto the bill).
Eventually, most if not all states will get in on the act, especially as they start to see how sports wagering performs in states that have it. The looming explosion of wagers on all forms of sports should result in a major uptick in interest in these sports. This could make gambling, as the executive described it, the biggest development in sports media in our lifetime.