Eric Uribe

The Kentucky Derby is still one of the hallmark sporting events — not just in the Bluegrass State but across the United States. Horse racing might not have the mainstream allure it once did (when it was arguably the second- or third-most popular sport in the country), but the prestige of the "Most Exciting Two Minutes In Sports" remains. 

The 2022 event will happen on Saturday, May 7. It will draw a huge volume of sports bets — but legally speaking, none from the state it's actually happening in. That's because sports betting remains banned inside Kentucky. That has cascading effects across the state, as we'll explain.

Sports fans in Texas have been waiting on pins and needles for years to see if the state will ever legalize sports betting. That wait lives on, and it will continue until at least November 2022, when the next major elections are held and the matter is expected to be voted on. But Beto O'Rourke, a former presidential candidate now running for governor in Texas, has just recently thrown an interesting wrinkle into the equation. 

Alabama has long been notorious for its opposition to any form of gambling and is the only state east of the Mississippi River to now offer any sort of lottery. That commitment to puritanism remained intact earlier this spring as the 2022 Alabama state legislative session drew to a close without a vote on two proposed bills that would clear the way for an increase in legal gambling.

As legal online sports betting has become more common in the United States, the overarching discussion around gambling has expanded to include how this shift impacts collegiate sports. Many regions with legal sports betting preclude residents from wagering on college teams within their state or collegiate sports in general. The state of Michigan, however, appears to be going in the complete opposite direction—a decision that will no doubt have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the country.

Unlike more than half of the United States, Texas has yet to legalize online sports betting for its residents. Though many have hoped that would change, there has been a healthy amount of skepticism surrounding the stance of the government, tribes who operate casinos, and lobbyists pushing for current restrictions to remain in place. But for the first time in quite a while, it's starting to feel like legal sports betting will be coming to Texas—not immediately, but at least in the near future.

All eyes remain on California as the future of sports betting continues to play out in combative fashion. Though residents cannot vote on the next measure to legalize sports gambling until November 2022, there has been no shortage of talk about which proposal, if any, will gain the most support. With months to go before the official vote, however, details have emerged on which options residents will be able to choose from.

The six biggest professional sports teams in Missouri have joined forces with local casinos in a push to bring legal, regulated sports betting to the Show Me State. In early April, representatives of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, NHL’s St. Louis Blues, MLS’ St. Louis SC, NWSL’s Kansas City Current, and MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals publicly voiced their support for legislation that would pave the way for both land-based and mobile-only sports betting.

At the onset of 2022, it looked like Oklahoma would legalize sports betting before the year was out. The House Appropriations and Budgetary Committee approved a bill that would give online gambling the stamp of approval—known as HB3008—and the House of Representatives seemed open to green lighting it as well. However, with a crucial May deadline looming for HB3008 to pass, the legislation has hit a snag that it's not expected to overcome.

To this point, the absence of legal sports betting in California looms as a major outlier. Thirty-three states and Washington D.C. have already made the leap, which amounts to more than half of the United States. California, however, has so far resisted making the same transition. That may change this November, on their election ballot. Or it may stand. Either way, though, the stakes are incredibly high—not just for California alone, but for the rest of the country.

Though California remains among the states that have yet to legalize sports betting, many believe this will ultimately change, even if it doesn't happen for another year or so. And while there are many factors that will determine whether The Golden State changes their stance, it absolute matters how voters feel on the subject. Legalization becomes tougher if they're predominantly against it. As it turns out, though, they may not be.

Texas continues to remain among the holdouts in the United States when it comes to legalizing sports betting. This insistence on not addressing the issue with any sort of urgency has many citizens and political figures annoyed—particularly when the state has passed on so many ostensibly intriguing proposals. What's next for the future of sports betting in Texas, if anything? We're not quite sure. But it begins with lobbyists spending truckloads of money to try inflicting change.

The race to bring legal sports betting to Missouri before the local legislature adjourns on May 13 is heating up. So much so, in fact, that professional sports franchises throughout the state have joined the push to bring about change. With so many in favor of legalizing sports gambling, and with so much money on the line, should we expect Missouri to take the plunge 33 other states have already made? Let's break it all down.

Entering 2022, over 30 states in the U.S. have made the decision to legalize sports betting in some form. Others, meanwhile, have proposed or even approved legislation that would do the same in the next year or so. And yet, to the surprise of many, California has isn't a member of either group. They haven't legalized any form of sports betting and won't rehash the issue again until their November 2022 ballot. What, pray to tell, does this mean for the future of sports betting in the state? We're here to have a look.

Legal sports betting first arrived in New York at the start of January 2022. However, given how delayed the rollout proved to be at the beginning of a new year, February marked the first full month in which sports betting was fully legal. And not surprisingly, it was a banner pay period for the state. New York accepted more than $1.5 billion in sports bets for February, which amounts to nearly $100 million in total revenue for the state itself. And believe it or not, the best has probably yet to come.

In what many considered a surprising move, Churchill Downs, Inc., has decided to remove online and mobile sports betting options from their portfolio. The company, which is based in Kentucky and synonymous with the Kentucky Derby that takes place at the Churchill Downs racetrack, believes it no longer makes sense for their customers to use such services offered by them. But are they correct? And will this decision have any impact on legal sports betting in the larger state of Kentucky? Let's take a look.

As soon as legal sports gambling arrived in Iowa towards the latter half of 2021, the revenue started streaming down in droves. Not only did they clear nine figures in their first month, but they nearly toppled a quarter-billion dollars in total sports bets during their inaugural go-round. And if you thought that was something, you haven't seen anything yet. Iowa has continued to reset their sports-betting benchmark ahead of the 2022 March Madness tournament, and they don't appear as if they'll ever look back. 

Sports betting is officially legal in more than half of the United States as of February 2022. Chief among the holdouts, though, is the state of Minnesota, which has thus far resisted green lighting sports gambling practices despite so many of their neighboring regions having already made the plunge. And yet, many expect this to change over the next year. Are they correct? Or will it still be a while before Minnesota joins the ranks of those that have legalized sports betting?

The start of 2022 has brought with it big changes to the state of Wisconsin. Residents can now place legal sports bets...sort of. Only one casino currently owns the right to operate as a legal sportsbook, and you need to show up in person to place your wager. Will other casinos have the chance to join them? And will Wisconsin ever pivot to online sports betting? Let's take a look.

Here's some good news for people if The Buckeye State: Legal online sports betting is set to hit Ohio no later than 2023. The decision comes as many places in the United States have officially greenlit sports betting or have legislation in place that intends to do so in the near future. As is the case with every legalization, though, Ohio still has a few steps left before residents can start placing wagers without issue.

Another state has taken the plunge and rolled out legal online sports betting. After a long waiting period following an intense round of debates on the subject, Louisiana had six online sportsbooks go live throughout the state on Friday, January 28. This is obviously a huge step for the entire state for so many reasons. But there are some stipulations and long-term ramifications worth analyzing. And it just so happens that's why we're here.