Bill Miller, recently appointed as President and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA), has welcomed greater freedoms to legally bet on sporting events in the wake of the strike down of PASPA, but reiterated the need for a vigilant approach to the illegal market which is still very much active in the US.
Using next Sunday’s Super Bowl game between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams as a reference point, he noted: “The interest in legal, regulated sports betting in the United States has never been higher. More Americans than ever before will be able to place their bets with legal sportsbooks now operating in eight states, generating valuable revenue for state, local and tribal governments and increasing fan engagement with the game.
“These results, however, also point to the continued viability of the dangerous, illegal sports betting market in America. It is more important than ever for jurisdictions to enact sound policies that provide a safe, legal alternative with protections for the nearly 23 million Americans who will place a bet on the big game.”
Millers remarks come off the back of a new survey released by the AGA and conducted by Morning Consult which predicts that nearly one in 10 US adults plan to bet on Super Bowl LIII. Key findings from the survey also indicate that 22.7 million bettors will place wagers totaling $6bn on Sunday’s game, with 52% backing the Rams, and 48% the Patriots. Tellingly, 1.8 million Americans plan to bet illegally through a bookie, with millions more likely to bet illegally through offshore online books.
