Dear Gaming Colleagues:
With the NCAA men’s basketball tournament about to tip off, new AGA research shows that Americans will wager $9.2 billion on the college basketball tournament this year. Amazingly, 70 million brackets will be completed by 40 million people. To put that in context, more brackets will be completed than ballots will be cast for the next president in November.
AGA’s research created buzz across the media spectrum, including ESPN, NPR, CNBC and Forbes.
Betting increasingly drives sports fans—and even casual observers—to invest in the tournament, offering further evidence that sports betting is the new national pastime.
Yet of the $9.2 billion that will be bet, the vast majority will be wagered illegally through bookies and illicit offshore websites. Only about 3 percent will be bet legally at Nevada sports books.
Current law prohibits legal sports betting in all but four states. It’s clear that we need a fresh, rational approach to sports betting that reflects widespread enthusiasm for greater engagement with players and teams.
AGA is leading a conversation to develop this new approach. We’re building a broad coalition that includes gaming leaders, law enforcement, regulators, legislators, professional sports leagues and others to determine the best path forward.
And we want you to join us. Add your voice to the conversation and sign up for updates on this dynamic issue at SportsBettingInAmerica.com. You can also share March Madness infographics on Facebook and Twitter to help spread the message that it’s time for a fresh approach to sports betting law.
As always, thank you for your engagement and support.
Sincerely,
Geoff Freeman
President and CEO
