Two of the most talked-about gaming topics of 2017, sports betting and Internet gaming, will be among the hottest gaming topics in state legislatures across the country this year, and perhaps in the halls of Congress, according to the 2018 National Legislative Preview, published by Fantini Research.
Should the U.S. Supreme Court strike down the federal ban on sports betting, it is likely that some states will combine efforts and attempt to get both sports betting and Internet Gaming, Laura Briggs, Fantini’s public policy review editor, wrote in the Preview.
Other major issues Briggs expects to be addressed around the country include:
- Land-based casino expansion
- Potential proliferation of slot routes
- Continued state-by-state push for daily fantasy sports
- State lotteries allowing internet sales
The issues are examined in detail for every state.
Fantini Research, a publishing, research and consulting firm focused on the gaming industry, called a full repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act by the Supreme Court, “the holy grail of outcomes.” The reported termed the idea as promising.
“While the court doesn’t care about gambling, it does care about the balance of the federal government’s power over states, and the federal sports betting ban presents an unbalanced approach,” the Briggs wrote in the executive summary.
Fantini expects several states to “move right away” on legalization efforts in the wake of a federal repeal, with New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Mississippi leading the charge.
Other states are expected to follow Pennsylvania’s lead in legalizing online poker and casino games, with Illinois and Michigan, among others, being “top contenders.”
“Many observers believe that if sports betting is allowed, it makes sense to allow (Internet) Gaming along with it,” Briggs wrote.
The research firm foresees continued momentum in the daily fantasy sports arena. However, there is concern about what sort of impact a potential sports betting repeal would have on the activity’s appeal, considering that DFS has “been widely considered sports betting’s alternative.”
A continued push to expand land-based gaming is also on the horizon, according to Fantini’s research, and there is reason to believe lotteries will continue to move online, as New Hampshire’s did last year.
