SPORTS Tuesday, June 25, 2019 East Oregonian B3 Regional divide opens in sports betting legislation Analysis: legalization is following regional boundaries, with Deep South and far West generally reluctant Status of sports betting around the U.S. Happening Legal but not yet happening Awaiting governor's signature On ballot 2019 Being considered Was considered; won’t be legalized 2019 No legislation 2019 By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press C HERRY HILL, N.J. — In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for every state to legal- ize sports betting, a regional divide has opened as states decide whether to expand their gambling options. By year’s end, legalization is possible in a dozen states in the Northeast and Midwest. But most states in the Deep South and far West — SEC and Pac-12 territory in college sports — are staying on the sidelines, at least for now. State lawmakers are weigh- ing the benefits of a slight boost in state revenue and the ability to add consumer protections against concerns about the morality of allowing another form of gam- bling. Sorting out complex busi- ness interests and opposition from some casino-operating tribes also has emerged as thorny challenges. It’s not clear whether legaliza- tion will happen in all corners of the country over the next few years or if opposition will keep it con- centrated in the regions where it’s already taken root. With just two exceptions, the Deep South states have been among the most resistant to legal- izing sports betting. In Louisiana, a legalization bill passed the Sen- ate earlier this year but died in the House. Republican state Sen. Danny Martiny favors legalization, say- ing Louisianans already are bet- ting on sports through bookies, offshore websites and casinos in neighboring Mississippi. He said Louisiana should regulate and tax sport bets, with the receipts largely earmarked for early childhood education. “We have all of the ills of gam- ing,” Martiny said during a com- mittee hearing, “but none of the benefits.” Opponents such as Rep. Vala- rie Hodges, also a Republican, said gambling preys on the poor and that the state should find a bet- ter way to pay for early education. “What we legalize, we legiti- mize,” she said. Hodges’ side prevailed in the legislative debate, aided by a dis- pute among gambling interests over whether sports betting should be limited to the state’s 16 casi- nos and four racetracks or also available at 2,800 truck stops and other locations with video poker terminals. Before the May 2018 Supreme Court ruling that allowed sports- books across the country, full-ser- vice ones were running legally only in Nevada. Last year, they opened in seven more states. So far this year, sports books have been legalized but haven’t yet begun operating in another five, plus the District of Columbia. Bills are awaiting signatures from the governors in Illinois, Maine and New Hampshire. Col- orado voters will decide the mat- ter for that state in November. In Oregon, the state lottery is work- ing on regulations with the plan of launching sports betting under existing law in time for the start of the NFL season. Four more states are consider- ing legalization during their cur- rent legislative sessions, but most legislatures have wrapped up their work for the year. Lawmakers in 18 states rejected sports betting legalization bills for 2019, accord- ing to a tally of legislation by The Associated Press. There are several other states where lawmakers might have an appetite for legalization, but there isn’t agreement in the complicated and tightly regulated gambling industry on how or whether to do it. A common factor in those places, including California and Florida, is the prevalence of casi- nos operated by Native American tribes. Agreeing to allow sports betting might mean the tribes would face increased competition. Chris Grove, a gambling indus- try strategist at Eilers & Krejcik, said he expects several states — mostly in the Northeast and upper Midwest — to legalize sports bet- ting in the next year, and then for the spread to slow because the remaining states are reluctant to allow gambling generally or because of tribal influence. “As you move farther west, the more complex the stakeholder pic- ture and the harder it is to get any- thing done,” he said. But Bill Pascrell III, a lobby- ist for some gambling companies, expects that even some states that have been traditionally reluctant to legalize gambling will allow sports betting in the future. He points to Tennessee, a state with- out any casinos, deciding to legal- ize online sports betting. The absence of sports gambling in California, Texas and Florida, the nation’s most populous states, leaves a gaping hole in the indus- try. They are home to more than a quarter of the teams in the four major professional sports and have about the same combined pop- ulation as all the states that have adopted legalized sports betting, including those where bills have been sent to governors but not signed into law. Other states, including Utah and South Carolina, are unlikely to welcome sports betting any- time soon because it’s difficult to sell any form of gambling there. Over the past year, states with legal sportsbooks have reported about $9 billion in bets being made. But sportsbooks are a rel- atively low-margin business for their operators, who pay taxes only on how much they win, not how much is gambled. According to their most recent financial reports, three of the states with legal sportsbooks are on pace to bring in far less than they expected in taxes their first fiscal year. Mississippi is bringing in about half of what it needs each month to reach an informal state target. Rhode Island and West Vir- ginia are both on pace to bring in 20% to 30% of their expected rev- enue, according to an AP analysis. Even in New Jersey, where mobile betting has caught on quickly, sports betting taxes amount to far less than 1% of all state revenue. Washington state Rep. Derek Stanford, the Democratic chair- man of a committee overseeing gambling activity, said he thinks the state is not ready for sports betting, and that’s a reason none of the three bills to legalize it there gained traction this year. He said the state needs to work through concerns ranging from the effects of legalized sports betting on public health to figur- ing out how it would affect tribal casinos. “My sense is that we don’t want to be the ones breaking new ground here,” he said. “If other states are doing this, we can see what experience they have.” We’re all part of Umatilla County history. SHARE YOUR PHOTOS The East Oregonian is proud to announce its partnership with Athena Public Library, City of Echo, Milton-Freewater Area Historical Society, Pendleton Round-up, Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, Umatilla County Historical Society and our readers on a new pictorial history book, “Umatilla County Memories: The Early Years.” YOU’RE INVITED We are excited to invite you, our readers, to participate in this unique project. Please bring your photos to one of our scanning sessions listed here — and be sure to check SCANNING SESSIONS our submission guidelines. Photos will be scanned on-site and given right back to Saturday, June 22 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. you. In order to keep things speedy, please fill out our simple photo submission form Tribal images only prior to the session. Forms can be downloaded at Umatilla.PictorialBook.com. Please plan to fill out one form for each photo you’d like to submit. Tamástslikt Cultural Institute 47106 Wildhorse Boulevard, Pendleton Sunday, June 23 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Download submission forms and pre-order at Echo Bank Building and Historical Museum Umatilla.PictorialBook.com 230 W. Main Street, Echo Monday, June 24 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Athena Public Library 418 E. Main Street, Athena Wednesday, June 26 10 a.m. – noon Umatilla County Historical Society Heritage Station Museum 108 SW Frazer, Pendleton Thursday, June 27 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Milton-Freewater Area Historical Society and Frazier Farmstead Museum 1403 Chestnut Street, Milton-Freewater SUBMISSION GUIDELINES General interest photos, such as: commerce, industry, transportation, rural life, public service, etc. Photos taken between the 1800s and 1939. Photos only — preferably original (no newspaper clippings or photocopies). Photos taken in Umatilla County. Limit 10 photos per family. No appointment necessary. If you’re a private collector, call 360-723-5800 to set up an appointment. Not all photos submitted or used in ads will appear in the final book.