2024 in US Sports Wagering
Legalization Efforts Highlight A Year of Growth
Since the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for states to legalize sports betting in 2018, the industry has grown exponentially. Each year has set a new record for the total amount wagered legally, and 2024 is no exception. By year’s end, a staggering $130 billion in bets is expected to have been placed, marking another milestone for this rapidly growing industry.
This year saw North Carolina and Vermont officially permit sports betting within their borders, while Missouri voters legalized the practice in 2024. The referendum victory, supported by the state’s professional sports teams and heavily funded by major sportsbooks, narrowly prevailed to set the stage for the state’s entry into the market.
Meanwhile, Texas remains on the sidelines. Despite studies showing that legalized betting could generate upwards of $250 million in annual tax revenue, the state legislature has little appetite for proceeding. With a $125 billion annual budget and a current surplus, Texas lawmakers appear unfazed by the potential revenue stream.
2024 also saw significant integrity concerns arise in the professional sports world. An NBA investigation revealed that Jontay Porter removed himself early from two games where substantial sums were wagered on his player props. Evidence showed Porter had communicated with a known bettor who placed a substantial wager and that Porter had also bet on NBA games. This scandal prompted a policy change at leading sportsbooks, which have stopped offering prop bets on players with 10-day or two-way contracts.
NCAA president Charlie Baker pushed for stronger student-athlete protections at the collegiate level. Facing issues of student-athletes dealing with harassment from bettors, The Ohio Casino Control Commission led the charge, approving an NCAA-backed request to ban player-specific prop bets on college sports. Louisiana, Maryland, and Vermont quickly followed suit, and New Jersey is considering similar legislation. These measures aim to reduce the pressure and potential manipulation that student-athletes may face from bettors.
As the sports betting industry continues to expand, it is under scrutiny to maintain integrity and protect athletes. With 2024 poised to set another record, all eyes will be on how states and regulators adapt to the challenges of this ever-evolving market and the lightning-quick evolution of wagering technology. OtherLevels’ Sports Engagement Platform (SEP) reads real-time odds feeds, game data, and trend information, identifying active and inactive customers. OtherLevels’ personalization engine leverages the stored active/inactive status and past customer betting tendencies to deliver the right content at the right time via the client’s CRM. Covering hundreds of leagues worldwide, SEP sends personalized, relevant messages to inactive customers, autonomously reactivating them before and during each match. The fully automated system removes the need for a human to write messages in real-time, allowing for maximum activation. Recently, an international sports book saw an uplift of 10% across the board in NBA betting using the OtherLevels Sports Engagement Platform.
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About OtherLevels
OtherLevels enables sportsbook operators to activate out-of-session customers by creating personalized pre-game and in-game real-time experiences. Using live odds, betting behavior, and match context, OtherLevels connects to the operator’s existing CRM platform for delivery of real-time content.
OtherLevels is a leading supplier of real-time multi-channel experience platforms for live sport and iGaming. It works in the sports betting, fan engagement, casino, and lottery sectors. OtherLevels is headquartered in Australia and has offices in Europe and the U.S.
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