1992 Sports Betting Ban

Have you ever wondered about the 1992 Sports Betting Ban, and how it affected the gambling world?  If so, this is for you!  We are going to take a look at the betting ban, its origins, its impact, and what has happened since then.

It is no surprise that Nevada is the only state where you can legally bet on individual sporting events.  (Maybe that is one of the reasons Las Vegas is so well known for its gambling and casinos?)  Included in the list of legally allowable sports bets are college and professional league basketball, football, hockey, baseball, boxing, and automobile racing.  Many players wonder why the betting practices are illegal in other areas.

Congress passed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act that banned sports betting in all states, excluding those that already had legalities supporting it in some shape or form prior to the act.  This means that only three other states had provisions for legal sports betting, which are still legal today, 16 years after the act was passed.  These states are Oregon, Delaware, and Montana.

In Oregon, sports lotteries were common.  These games started in 1989, and were very famous, which did well for the economy.  Recently, a bill was signed into law which ended football betting with the conclusion of the 2006-2007 NFL season.  This is the end of legal sports betting practices for Oregon.

In Delaware, a 1976 NFL betting lottery was legalized.  One season later it stopped. The state is now considering allowing wagering on sports at the state's three casinos. If the gambling measure is approved, it will not be similar to the sports gambling in Las Vegas.  Certain measures will be taken to ensure that winning is more difficult, so as to keep the original element of chance still in tact.

In Montana, several different types of betting and sports wagering are allowed.  These include sports pools, sports tabs, and fantasy sports games.  Pools are operated in the sense that all money wagered is pooled together and split.  Tabs are purchased with different numerical combinations, and money is paid out for matching the numbers. Regardless of the bet, and the manner in which the bet is placed, the maximum payout is only $500.

So what is the moral of the story?  Do not bet on sporting events unless you are in the areas that still allow for legal sports betting.  If you do, do not tell us about it, and good luck!