The opening day of the NFL season is always one of the biggest days for sports fans in the United States,
but it is also the biggest day in the US sports betting industry. The NFL is the biggest betting market in this industry, and three states planned to launch sports betting on September 9.
Arizona, South Dakota, and Washington were the three states that were able to launch before the first game kicked off, and that will prove to be beneficial to each market. It will still take some time before each state becomes a major player in the industry, but the initial numbers should be terrific.
Arizona and Washington have a distinct advantage over South Dakota when it comes to sports betting, as each state is home to an NFL team. All three states have spent some time getting things in order for the launch, but some hiccups are still to be expected.
This latest boom in new states ready to offer sports betting is just another example that the US sports betting industry is not slowing down anytime soon.
Arizona Will be a Large Market
Arizona could become one of the biggest sports betting markets in the United States as this state is home to a number of professional teams. The Arizona Cardinals of the NFL will be the biggest betting market, but there are other popular teams in the state as well.
Another reason that Arizona could become a large sports betting market is that there are 20 online sports betting licenses available. Ten of those licenses are reserved for Native American tribes, while the other ten will go to professional teams or other events.
Some of the top operators in the US have been able to gain market access into Arizona by partnering with the four professional sports teams.
No Online Betting in South Dakota
All of the sports betting in South Dakota will take place in the town of Deadwood, just as all of the casino gambling does as well. Gambling was initially approved in Deadwood as a way to provide an economic boost to a struggling mining town.
There was some initial discussion about approving online sports betting as well, but lawmakers ultimately decided against allowing that form of betting. This is going to keep South Dakota from becoming one of the top sports betting markets in the US.
Washington Starting off Slowly
Even though legal sports betting is now available in the state of Washington, bettors in the state are extremely limited when it comes to options. The Snoqualmie Tribe was the first tribe ready to offer sports betting on September 9, and it might be the only option for a few weeks.
There are eight other tribes in the state of Washington that have been approved for legal sports betting, but the Snoqualmie Tribe was the only one that worked quickly enough to get its sportsbook up and running. Competition is coming, and there could eventually be close to 20 tribes that offer legal sports betting.
