According to a recent study by the Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind, it was revealed that 48% of Americans support legalizing sports betting in the USA, with a vast number of respondents claiming that punters are in any case partaking in the activity.
Of the 1,019 adults that were surveyed throughout the country, 48% of the respondents revealed that they support the legalization of sports betting in the United States. 39% of the respondents said that the activity could raise tax revenues while those in support of legalization saw 45% saying that people are doing the activity anyway. Those respondents who are opposed to sports betting commented that the main reasons to keep sports betting restricted are Gambling Addiction, Links to Organized Crime and potential Match-Fixing.
Donald Hoover, Fairleigh Dickinson University Lecturer, commented on the poll by saying that betting on sports does not have an access issue for anyone in the United States. He also said that most of the sports betting in the United States is fairly easy to do, but happens in the shadows and in violation of federal law.
Krista Jenkins, the Poll Director added that the public is divided on this issue and it looks like the reasons behind the division stem from the age-old difficulty of reconciling the competing pulls of money and morality.
Jenkins went on to say that people are clearly worried about the effects of gambling on individuals and their families, but also aware of the benefits that come from more money for the state from something that people are already doing.