Brendan Dwyer

And it changed the narrative on our broadcasts where people were talking about daily fantasy sports, talking about odds.

But most importantly, it really kind of tested the water from a consumer perspective, a cultural perspective.

And we found out that our society had a bit more of a favorable association with betting.

A brief history.

So in 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on sports gambling.

Since then, 37 states plus the District of Columbia passed laws where we can bet on sports.

That has been huge for the betting industry.

The American Gaming Association estimated in 2017 just under $5 billion was spent on sports betting, primarily physically in a casino.

In 2024, that number was $150 billion, 95% of it online.

The sports betting industry has become its own economic engine, transforming the DNA and the sports fan along the way.

Yeah, the change and deregulation of sports

sports betting and allowing the states to make their own laws and allowing at this point, close to 70% of Americans to legally bet on sports has fundamentally changed the sport industry.

You know, now sports fans at the tip of their fingers through their phones can bet on pretty much anything as it relates to professional sports, college sports.

And has driven a lot of money into the sports industry.

It has changed the way sports is broadcasted, the way we watch it, and ultimately how fans behave.

For people in the sports industry, it's a huge deal.

I mean, individuals like Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, I mean, he's gone on record to say a double the value of his franchise because of sports betting.

That's how much money and interest and focus sports bettors put on sports.

sport consumption because they watch games longer they watch more sports they watch pre-games and analysis which all of that drives media contracts it drives advertisement and that is the real fuel of the sport industry is that a bad thing i mean we could all use a little pleasure these days when does it become problematic

Well, the economist in me that wants my students at VCU to find jobs, I like that there's more money in the sports industry.