Abstract
It's an exciting time to be part of the gaming industry, and perhaps no market is more exciting than the U.S.
The dominoes are continuing to fall in the U.S. gambling market. As I write this, New York's mobile betting sites are live and putting up eye-popping numbers ($1.1 billion in handle in just two weeks), as are the first crop of Louisiana mobile sportsbooks. But lest you think the market is nearing its peak, there are three states devoid of mobile sports betting with a combined population of around 90 million—roughly 25% of the total U.S. population.
But as sports betting spreads, so do concerns. One of the articles you'll find in this issue is a scathing commentary on the NFL's embrace of sports betting. The article from Harry Levant is titled “Upon Further Review: The NFL's Gambling Strategy is a Risk to Public Health and Congress Must Act,” and makes a case for federal intervention before it's too late.
For academic articles, the current issue features a holdover from our Esports Special Issue as Leonardo Paschoalini Paiva, Lucas De Moura Alves Evangelista, and Marcela Luísa Foloni take an in-depth look at the history and law of esports athletes in Brazil. This wonderful article provides valuable information for anyone interested in Brazilian gaming laws or esports in general.
You'll also find the latest data crunch from Better Collective's Chris Altruda, as he provides an analysis of U.S. sports betting revenue numbers, including the new additions of Connecticut and Arizona. As always, Chris delivers the data and does an excellent job breaking down precisely what it means.
There is also a roundtable discussion from the American Bar Association titled “State of the States in Gaming 2k21: A Legal and Regulatory Overview on the Rapidly Developing Sports Betting and I-Gaming in the United States.” Alexander Denton led this terrific discussion that provides readers with several insights.