The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled 6-3 to strike down a federal ban on sports betting. New Jersey had challenged the ban claiming it was unfair that gambling on sports has been allowed in Nevada and just a few other states.
Since 1992, Nevada has been the only state where a person could wager on the results of a single game. This, courtesy of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, a law that barred state-authorized sports gambling with a few exceptions.
What does this mean going forward? Many states could begin to legalize betting on college and professional sports. It's up to each individual state to decide. Rhode Island leaders have been salivating over the possibility of a legal sports betting windfall. Governor Raimondo included $23.5 million in new state revenue based on legalized sports betting starting October 1st. Could the decision become an issue in the gubernatorial election? Possibly. GOP candidate Allan Fung says those revenues shouldn't be used to balance the budget. Independent candidate Joe Trillo is proposing a restricted account for road repairs.