Illegal, unregulated sports betting hurts consumers and states
Illegal, unregulated sports betting operators flourish in states where sports betting is not yet legal. These offshore operators dodge U.S. laws that ensure consumer protections like age and ID verification and responsible gaming tools, putting consumers at risk while depriving states of critical tax revenue every year.
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STATE OF PLAY: Sports Betting
Consumers deserve access to legal, regulated platforms for responsible online sports betting. That’s why SBA is working to end the illegal, unregulated offshore market for sports betting and replace it with legal, regulated online sports betting across the nation.
We believe consumers should have access to the benefits of legal sports betting, including consumer protections and responsible gaming tools that aren’t available through illegal, unregulated operators.
STATE REVENUE
Legal, regulated sportsbooks generated $3.7 billion in state and local taxes in 2025. Illegal, unregulated sportsbooks pay nothing, costing states an estimated $1 billion in tax revenue every year that could go to educating kids, building roads, or helping families afford college.
LATEST NEWS
Alabama can continue pretending that prohibition means our kids aren’t betting on sports. Or we can acknowledge that they already are and decide we’re finally going to do something about it
Legal and regulated sounds like a brand promise. It is actually a list of specific, enforceable consumer protections an offshore operator does not, and structurally cannot, provide. Four of them, side by side, explain why the word legal carries any weight at all
Misrepresenting data can lead to bad policy, which carries real consequences for people who are struggling with gambling disorders and depend on services funded, in part, by legal, regulated sports books and increasing tax revenues from these regulated frameworks
Match-fixing thrives in darkness. The World Cup is a reminder that legal, regulated sports betting helps bring it into the light
The surge in betting activity surrounding the FIFA World Cup is renewing efforts by sports betting advocates to convince Texas lawmakers to legalize sports wagering during the upcoming legislative session
Since sports betting became legal in May 2020, the state has collected more than $154 million in taxes, and the Colorado Water Conservation Board has funneled $140 million to various projects that preserve and conserve Colorado’s precious water
Licensed sportsbooks in Kansas and Missouri said they are prepared for new and visiting bettors during the World Cup, while warning that illegal, offshore betting sites may also target fans
If Alabama lawmakers stay with the status quo, predatory gambling operations will continue to grow. One Alabama college student shares his thoughts with the Alabama Political Reporter
"The economic benefits to our communities are disappearing. And tax revenues are poised to follow.
An absence of legalization doesn’t mean an absence of harm — Minnesota residents are placing risky online sports bets daily