Garden Staters wagered almost $11 billion online in 2021 -about $1,200 for every man, woman and child living there. In New Jersey, one of the first to authorize online sports gaming, the revenue haul is beginning to show results. Seven states also have authorized online casino gambling, and more are expected to follow. It’s already a megabillion-dollar industry, and growing rapidly. Sports gambling has now been authorized in 30 states, with 40 percent of Americans now allowed to play locally or at home. Only this time, the problems of gambling addiction are far more chronic, and the adverse social consequences and costs have not been fully documented and addressed. This race for the cash is a close cousin to the legal-lottery movement of decades ago. Hungry for new tax-revenue sources, legislatures across the nation are rushing to cash in on the rapid growth of gambling, especially online sports wagering.
Not just at the horse tracks but in state capitols.