By David Purdum and Doug Kezirian, ESPN
When the Supreme Court ruled the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) unconstitutional on May 14, it opened the door for legalized sports betting in the U.S. on a state-by-state basis.
New Jersey and Delaware are the first two states to begin taking legal sports bets outside of Nevada, but they represent just the tip of the iceberg. Mississippi and West Virginia are poised to follow suit in the coming months, and within five years, some analysts believe more than half of the states will be offering sports betting.
The repeal of PASPA also opened the door for new questions across a sports betting landscape that had mostly existed in Nevada and offshore, including varying time zones for legal sportsbooks and home-team bias leading to different odds in different states.
When the odds to win Super Bowl LIII were posted last Thursday at Monmouth Park in New Jersey, there were no signs of regional bias, no apparent concerns from bookmakers that they’d be overwhelmed, for example, by bets on the Philadelphia Eagles from local fans.
The Eagles were 17-2 to win the Super Bowl at the new William Hill sportsbook at Monmouth Park, just like they were at the William Hill sportsbook at Casino Royale on the Las Vegas Strip. Philly’s Super Bowl odds were 8-1 at the Borgata in Atlantic City, an MGM property; they were also 8-1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Until recently, this wasn’t something Las Vegas had to deal with, but it’s coming.
Just think: the Eagles may be taking on the Las Vegas Raiders in a few years. The betting action at Pennsylvania books could be lopsided on the Eagles, while the action in Nevada might be heavy on the Raiders. Will the point spread on the game vary wildly from state to state?
Opinions vary, but the majority of bookmakers told ESPN they don’t expect to have significantly different lines to start.
