Will California Make Sports Betting Legal?

California that would make sports betting legal in this US state, at the initiative of Adam Gray, chairman of California’s Assembly Governmental Organization Committee.

It is no secret to California’s officials that a large number of residents are betting on sport events via dubious and sometimes illegal channels, often by way of foreign internet sites. This almost exclusively has bad consequences for players, who may lose their money, or for underage players to develop serious addictions when betting in an environment without safeguards and regulations. This is due to change, as Gray announces, saying it is time to “bring this multibillion dollar industry out of the shadows.” He went on to explain that “”we need to crack down on illegal and unregulated online gaming and replace it with a safe and responsible option. All other gaming activities in California are subject to regulations that ensure the safety of consumers; sports wagering should be treated no differently.”

This effort to legalize sports betting should likely in the event that the US Supreme Court allows the state of New Jersey to go down this very same route. It is expected that, should New Jersey succeed, that many other states besides California will follow suit. Only four US states have sports betting legalized within their borders.

What do you think about this initiative and, seemingly, a game changer that could sweep across the whole of US? Do you think legalization will make things better?