The first Super Bowl being played in the gambling capital of the world will have fitting betting numbers to go along with it.
Super Bowl LVIII, which will be the first edition in Las Vegas, will have a jaw-dropping 67.8 million American adults placing wagers on it, according to a study from the American Gaming Association.
This figure represents roughly 1 in 4 American adults across the entire nation, while the amount estimated to be wagered is roughly $23.1 billion.
All of this while gambling and sports betting remains illegal in the state of Alabama.
Just this week, the state of Mississippi passed a bill in the House that would legalize online sports betting in the state. While gambling is legal, as is sports betting, inside casinos, residents of the state cannot currently use online apps such as DraftKings or FanDuel while outside of casinos.
The Mississippi Senate has until April 2nd to adopt or reject the bill.
As for Alabama, the topic has been hot once again as of late. Citizens have not voted yay or nay on the issue in 25 years, and Rep. Andy Whitt argues that “our weak, confusing laws are not stopping Alabamians from participating or bad actors from profiting.”
Currently, sports betting is legal in 38 states in total, as well as Washington D.C. and Mississippi may very well be the next.
In December, Governor Ivey weighed in on the issue as well, saying that she supports votes having another chance to vote on it for the first time since 1999, but that it must be done right.
“I think it has to be comprehensive enough to clearly address all forms of gambling. And most importantly, it must be done right – I will only support the legislation if I think is best for our state and our citizens,” Ivey said to Yellowhammer News
While more than two-thirds of American adults currently live in a legal sports betting market, Alabamians will still have to wait, at least for now.
And as this year’s Super Bowl shatters records on the amount wagered, another year will have passed that Alabama’s citizens were not a part of the legalized wagering statistics.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
