Election Tuesday Sets Course for Sports Betting in America

Millions of Americans voted on Election Tuesday. The results of the elections have significant implications on the trajectory of gambling in each state. Most of votes were counted on Wednesday. The landscape for US betting legislation is clearer than it was 24 hours ago.

Proposals 26 and 27 were defeated in Tuesday's California elections. The latter would have opened the doors to sports betting on a broad scale in California. It is bad news for the gambling industry as it is estimated that a California betting market could generate as much as $3bn in annual revenue. The interested parties spent almost $500m on advertising in the lead-up to the election.

Governor Greg Abbott has won re-election in Texas. He has shown a willingness to listen to pro-betting lobbyists. The state legislature will have to agree on sports betting legislation next year. It won't be a topic until after the next presidential election.

Election Tuesday set the course for sports betting in America. Missouri, Oklahoma and Minnesota were also put under the spotlight during Tuesday's polling. Senator Denny Hoskins has spearheaded recent pushes for legalization in Missouri. His commitment to expanding video game terminals has presented a point of contention for opponents.

In Oklahoma, incumbent Governor Kevin Stitt won reelection. In Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz secured reelection after defeating Scott Jensen. Georgia reelected incumbent Brian Kemp ahead of the challenging Stacey Abrams. Kemp has been opposed to legalized gambling in the past, but recent polls suggest that a majority of voters support casinos and a near-majority support sports betting.