You can’t watch a sports event on television any more without being bombarded with commercials about sports betting. It has become a multi-billion-dollar business. I’m not here to advocate wagering of any kind, but you can’t be a sports fan and not realize what has happened in the past couple of years regarding sports wagering.

According to an article in Forbes magazine in January 2022, there are about 30 states where sports betting is now legal, including 18 that allow online sports wagering. This means more than 100 million Americans can place a legal wager where they live.

The Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018, and since then the legalization of sports betting has spread across the U.S. Prior to that court decision, PASPA had effectively made sports betting illegal except in Nevada and a few other states. Since the ban was struck down, states have been allowed to legalize sports betting and launch their own programs. The industry has been on fire and growing rapidly, as witnessed by the pervasive number of commercials we see.

The total handle on sports betting in the U.S. in 2021 was over $42 billion. That’s unbelievable!

Florida legalized sports betting last year through a gambling compact with the state’s Seminole Tribe—a deal that was slated to bring $2.5 billion in tax revenue to Florida over five years. Those pushing the sports wagering proposals in our state were hoping to do the same thing with local tribes. However, everything is on hold right now as a federal judge overturned the Florida deal, ruling the plan violated the state’s constitution and federal Indian gambling law. The tribe is appealing the ruling and the state’s sports betting business is in limbo.

In April 2020, the Oklahoma Legislature and two Native American tribes in our state reached an agreement on a new gaming compact that would permit them to offer sports betting at all their Oklahoma casino properties. However, Governor Kevin Stitt approval was overturned by the state and no sportsbooks have launched, but online sports betting sites offer legal odds to all residents.

There are two active sports betting bills in Oklahoma that would modify the current sportsbook market. With more than 100 casino operations as well as the popularity of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Oklahoma Sooners, and OSU Cowboys, if and when Oklahoma sports betting becomes regulated, it could become a major player in the sports wagering business.

I’m not a gambler and never spend a dime at casinos, but the idea of wagering on sports has always been interesting to me. Afterall, I’m a huge sports fan, and I know that betting on a particular sport or game keeps you interested, even if your favorite team isn’t playing.

I know this because I play a lot of fantasy sports. The good thing is, you can play many fantasy sports without paying anything. I use Yahoo! Fantasy Sports. There are many contests out there where you don’t have to pay an entry fee, but you have a chance of winning money. That to me isn’t gambling.

Since I began playing fantasy games a few years ago, I have learned a whole lot more about who the players are and what team they play for. It’s made me more knowledgeable and more interested, especially in the NBA and PGA. Now I want to see if my golf team lineup is going to win me $5 or $50, or just the pride of finishing in first place.

Would I be in favor of legal sportsbooks in Oklahoma? No, probably not, because the same folks who are getting rich off the casinos, and it’s not the players or the schools, will be the same ones to get rich off the sports bettors. We were fooled already by the idea that a lottery would help fund our public schools, and we all know how that worked out.

Gambling is gambling, and it’s never set up so you and I win the majority of the time. That’s not how it works.

Is there an entertainment element? Sure, as I said, it gives you a reason to watch the games and be interested, however you have to know how to set limits. Might I change my mind and try one of those online betting sites? Maybe, but I know how to set limits. I opened my Yahoo! Fantasy account with $15, and have never added any money to that account. I had a good weekend where I won an NFL and NBA contest that totaled over $50. I withdrew some of the money, and now I’m playing with free money.

So, for now, I’m happy with my fantasy games, but I bet we’ll have sportsbooks in Oklahoma before any of your university basketball teams win a national championship. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)