A Bettor World Beckons

The 2018 National Football League season is the first since the Supreme Court ruled last May that states can no longer ban sports betting. Though placing legal bets on NFL games isn't easily done yet, it likely will be soon. State-sanctioned betting is underway in four states, four more have okayed it and are deciding how to license and regulate operators, and dozens of others are contemplating legalization, which some legislators hope would boost tax collections. These states would all join Nevada, which enjoys a long-standing federal exemption that lets its casinos take bets on sports events. Even the NFL, which for years said that it opposed legalized sports gambling, is getting in on the action: the league recently decided that teams can accept marketing deals and partnerships with gambling operations.