In the last six months of 2018 the sports landscape has evolved at rapid speed and it is believed that this intense shift is influenced by the American sports gambler. The annual list of the most influential people in the sports world has just been released by sports business Journal and Adam Silver in the 2nd place as well as 3rd place Roger Goodell was beaten by American Sports Gambler.
Most Influential Athletes in 2018
The most influential athlete of the year was LeBron James listed in 15th place, which puts him behind Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys featured in 13th place, while Robert Kraft from the New England Patriots is in the 14th spot. Sports betters take the number one spot and the biggest articles or story of this year was by Bill King a senior writer at the Sports Business Journal.
Amateur and Professional Sports Protection Act of 1992
The Amateur and Professional Sports Protection Act of 1992 was struck down by the US Supreme court on the 14th of May, while the federal statute previously prohibited sports betting in states such as Nevada. With the new ruling, several states rushed to make their way into the bookmaking game and share in legalized sportsbook betting. Sports betting offered in Vegas-style appeared in Rhode Island, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Delaware and West Virginia in just six month and dozens of other states are now getting ready to participate in sports betting in 2019.
Six-Year Legal Battle Won by New Jersey
After an extremely long six-year battle, New Jersey finally won the NCAA and after the Supreme Court ruling can now accept sports bets since June. With as much as 70% of the bets placed online the Garden State had wagers worth $1 billion dollars in the last month. The most influential person in the past decade or more is the American sports gambler according to Raymond Lesniak, the now retired state senator of New Jersey. It is estimated that American sports enthusiast wagered well over $150 billion in 2017, although only a tiny percentage of the bets were placed at legal sports book and in the same year sports books in Nevada only took bets worth $4.8 billion.
The CEO, Jim Murren of MGM Resorts International in the US features in the 23rd position on the list and under his direction the MGM now has partnerships with the Major League Baseball, NHL and NBA. The US branch of the William Hill bookmaker, CEO, Joe Asher is listed in the 47th position.
Benefit of Sports Betting Legalization
The list of benefits due to the legalization of sports betting includes the creation of hundreds of jobs, while sports enthusiasts now have access to legalized sports betting options. The action also benefits sports leagues with the revenues generated and both the teams, small businesses and media companies are benefiting. New Jersey is planning to soon open an in-stadium lounge for sports betting where employees will be available to assist sports fans with the downloading of the mobile sports betting apps.