Across the world, there's World Cup fever among sports bettors and things have reached a new level in the United States. Why does this matter for Alabama betting news? Well, it's because we are seeing a rise very quickly in betting numbers in the state despite legalization not being close. How is that happening? Well, it's because prediction markets are going all-in on World Cup betting in Alabama right now and it's easy to see why.

On places like Kalshi and Polymarket, there are individual bonus codes being made up for the World Cup action on a state to state basis. With this, Alabama is on the list, and people are taking full advantage of these deals. On one hand, this is great for people in Alabama, as they're getting extra incentive to sign up for the prediction markets and place bets on the games they are following closely.

This of course includes the matchups for the United States, as Mauricio Pochettino and Co. are hoping to go on a deep run in the tournament. That's great to see for sure, but the problem here is that officials are not happy due to legal sports betting not passing yet. With this loophole in place, the feeling is that some of these prediction markets are taking full advantage of things, with these new deals convincing even more people to place bets.

While now laws are currently being broken, it does bring up the fact that sports betting has become incredibly popular in Alabama. This is something the state is taking notice of, but until the laws are changed, we're going to have to wait until online options and in-person sportsbooks become accessible for everyone. It will be interesting to see if that happens soon or not, but the prediction markets are clearly having a ton of success right now.

Prediction markets could actually help speed up legal sports betting in Alabama

In the grand scheme of things, though, prediction markets could actually help speed up legal sports betting in Alabama. While this feels like a bit of a will thought, you really can't look away at the success that's being built right now on Kalshi and others. Especially with World Cup betting taking flight like this, it makes us wonder what's going to happen during the football season, as people in the state love the action on the gridiron.

"The only difference, of course, is the loss in state revenue because it is not regulated by the states themselves," reporter Michael Brauner said on legal sports betting options and the markets. "Prediction markets over the last year have changed the conversation drastically around legalized sports betting, and perhaps in a state like Alabama, it could be the final piece needed to get legalized sports betting back on the ballot."

Brauner really makes a good point there. Officials are seeing the success, and they've got to keep in mind the lost tax revenue that Alabama is missing out on. With the sports betting that's getting done through the prediction markets too, keep in mind that the state isn't getting a dime back on that. How can this change? By putting a head-turning sports betting bill in the works to get people to agree on.

Alabama's most-recent sports betting push never had a shot

While the general feeling is that good news could come down the road, some pessimism remains because Alabama's most-recent sports betting push never had a shot. In case you missed it, there was an effort to get things over the line earlier this year, but things ended up fizzling out in pretty disappointing fashion.

With this, it's back to the drawing board for local officials. What doesn't help here either is that, similar to Texas, there remains a ton of opposition who don't want to see legal sports betting arrive. As you know by now, gambling addiction remains at the forefront of why some people don't want to see the laws changed in the state.

Hey, we understand that, but if people are finding ways to place their bets - whether it's through the prediction markets or through an illegal bookie - then Alabama should make sure it's getting some revenue off of things. The only way that's going to happen is if legal options arrive in the near future, but no one knows if that's going to end up being the case or not here. Only Tim will tell if history can be made in the state by 2027 or 2028.