The topic of live sports betting got me thinking of sports betting in general. What are the current popular and legal ways that people bet on sports? Are the online sport books bigger players now compared to the traditional brick and mortar casinos? If so, is it mostly the sites that used to focus on fantasy, like Draft Kings and Fan Duel, or the “old fashioned” offshore sport books in the Caribbean? Which of those are the ones that tend to offer the live betting being discussed in the other thread?
I’m form Texas, so the only chances I get to bet on sports are during the occasional trip to Las Vegas, thus my lack of detailed knowledge on the topic. I understand that here in the US, other states have legalized online and in person sports betting to various extents, but am not familiar with the various laws in other states. How are things around the US outside of Texas, where it’s pretty much all illegal, and in other countries?
Here in Chicago, half the ads during games the last couple years have been for online betting apps. I think the sites you mention are still big players, and the major brick-and-mortar casinos all have their own online sports books, too.
I’m in Indiana, where online betting is legal, so I have access to make bets on DraftKings, Fan Duel, etc. Prior to that, sports betting was legal in the physical casinos. When we first became legal online, I read a lot of articles about gambling, gambling addicts, etc. - there was plenty being written in the local newspaper and on The Athletic, etc.
The big gambling addicts are still pouring most of their money down the drain in the offshore “casinos” because there aren’t any regulations - the local casinos and the apps will put a freeze on your account if they think you’re spiraling down.
But for casual fans, the apps are raking in the money. I have accounts on MGM, FanDuel and DraftKings, mainly to harvest their promos. They’re all in high competition with each other, and will every now and then offer essentially free money on 99.999% chance bets (I.e. “will Duke basketball score more than 2 points?”).