Is sports betting good for America?
Critical Analysis
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, your big brain, the information provided and any links below:
Commercial sports betting has spread rapidly across the United States since a Supreme Court ruling in 2018 gave states the green light to legalize it. At least 38 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico now allow commercial sports betting in some form, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. According to the data from the visual above, what portion of Americans say that legal sports betting is good for society?
According to the data from the visual above, what portion of Americans say that legal sports betting is bad for sports?
Describe the trend in American approval of legal sports betting in the U.S. since 2022.
Describe your opinion on legal sports betting in the U.S.
Some groups of Americans are more likely than others to say they’ve personally bet money on sports in the past year. According to the visual below* what age group is most likely to bet money on sports?
The legalization of sports betting has generated revenue for state governments and gambling operators, but it has also raised concerns about gambling addiction and other societal harms. Critics have also cautioned that it may compromise the integrity of sports. In recent years, several professional and college athletes and team personnel have been punished for violating betting rules. Overall, explain whether you support legal sports betting.
Following its enactment by Congress in 1992, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), effectively banned sports betting everywhere except for Nevada (and three other states that had certain betting games grandfathered in). Then in 2018, the Supreme Court ruled in Murphy v. NCAA that sports betting was legal. How does this illustrate the concept of checks and balances?
Even though the Supreme Court ruled that New Jersey could not outlaw sports betting in 2018, sports betting is still not legal in some states. How does this illustrate the concept of federalism?
Now that the court has ruled that states may legalize sports gambling, what political methods might individuals or groups use to try to convince states to legalize gambling?
According to the American Gaming Association, Americans wagered an estimated $4.76 billion on the Super Bowl in 2018, yet Americans only wagered 3% of that amount, legally, in Nevada. A Libertarian might argue that gambling should be legal and that people should be allowed to do anything to themselves that they want, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. Others would argue that the government has an interest in protecting its people and should stop them from actions like gambling that can hurt themselves. Make a claim about whether governments should legalize things like gambling that people do anyway?
Write and Discuss
Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.
Act on your Learning
Share the status of sports gambling in your state with your classmates and try to convince them of your claim about whether gambling should be legal.
Get Creative
What sport do you think has the least amount of money bet on it? Choose from the following sports: Football, Basketball, Cricket, Tennis, Volleyball, Baseball, Hockey, Jai Alai, Table Tennis, Golf, Swimming, Rugby, Cycling, and Gymnastics, as well as Archery, Fencing, Weightlifting, and various forms of Equestrian, Fencing, Figure Skating, Flag Football, and Rowing.
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