Mobile Sports Betting to Remain in Spotlight During 2022

Note: This is part of a series looking ahead to the major sports betting stories of 2022.

With the launch of mobile wagering in New York last weekend, online sports betting already has claimed a prominent position on the national gaming stage in 2022.

The majority of sports betting in the U.S. takes place on mobile devices such as smartphones and laptops, meaning additional online betting nationwide will keep the issue front-and-center during 2022.

New York, Ohio Join Online Wagering Ranks

In New York, the nation’s fourth most-populous state, mobile wagering became operational last Saturday, in time for the final full week of NFL games and Monday’s major-college title game.

In the game Monday night, Georgia defeat Alabama to avenge its loss to the Crimson Tide in the SEC championship game.

Another state with a large population, Ohio, the seventh most populous state, legalized in-person and mobile sports betting late in the year, after earlier failed attempts.

Once Ohio gaming regulators license the applicants and put the rules in place to govern the industry, sports betting will be up and running there.

RELATED: Eight Predictions for U.S. Sports Betting & Online Gambling in 2022

However, the licensing and rules-setting process could take five months or more to complete, meaning Buckeye State bettors probably will have to wait at least until next football season to place a legal wager on the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and many other teams and events.

Sports betting might even be operational statewide in time for late-season baseball betting on the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians.

Mobile Betting on Tap in Louisiana

Louisiana saw its first bet at a sportsbook inside a state-regulated casino on Oct. 31. As the year draws to a close, over a dozen casino sportsbooks have been approved, with more to come.

Even with only two commercial sportsbooks in operation inside casinos during all of November, the sports wagering handle in Louisiana topped $27 million.

RELATED: How the three biggest states – California, Texas and Florida – are faring in their efforts to get sports betting launched.

That number is projected to balloon once mobile wagering has begun.

Mobile sports betting could be operational in the Bayou State in time for the NFL’s 56th Super Bowl on Feb. 13, state Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Jones told Gambling.com this week.

Johns said he first wants to be sure geofencing concerns are addressed so that sports betting does not occur in the nine of 64 parishes that voted against it in a November 2020 statewide election.

Each of the state’s 20 casino license holders will be allowed to operate two mobile apps, called “skins.” The Louisiana Lottery Corp. also will receive a skin, bringing the potential total to 41.

Online bookmakers, such as FanDuel, DraftKings and Caesars Sportsbook, are required to partner with a casino license holder to operate their branded mobile apps in the state, Lt. Robert Fontenot of the Louisiana State Police told Gambling.com.

Arkansas’ Mobile Profit-Sharing Vote Eyed Nationwide

North of Louisiana, the Arkansas Racing Commission, in late December, unanimously approved Arkansas online sports betting

RELATED: Sports Betting Industry Recording Big Numbers Across Board for 2021.

The rule change includes language granting local casinos 51% of profits when partnering with brand-name online bookmakers. The bookmakers typically share 5-15%. The dispute over profit-sharing percentages being mandated by a government rule attracted nationwide attention.

If the Arkansas Legislative Council approves the rule change at its next meeting on Jan. 28, statewide mobile wagering could begin by the end of February.

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson has said he supports mobile sports betting, in part to keep Arkansas competitive with neighboring states, such as Tennessee and Louisiana, where it has been legalized. Tennessee, a mobile-only state, launched its online sports betting program in November 2020.

Elsewhere in the South, a mobile sports betting measure, House Bill 184, was introduced in Mississippi in early January during the first week of the legislative session in Jackson.

Lawmakers in Southern states such as Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina also are expected to vote on bills to expand gambling within their borders.

Sports Betting Illegal in Nation’s Three Largest States

The nation’s three most-populous state — California, Texas and Florida — have no legal sports-betting, but that could change soon in two of those states, with sports-wagering initiatives possibly landing on the November 2022 California and Florida ballots. If that goes through, sports betting apps in California may go live in 2023/24.

“Campaigning in California and Florida should be especially fierce” leading up to the Nov. 8 election, according to VIXIO Gaming Compliance.

RELATED: Ten Moments that Defined Sports Betting in 2021.

In Texas, legislators won’t meet until 2023, but sports betting is expected to come under consideration again at the Capitol in Austin.

If approved there, it would face a public vote, which means 2025 is the earliest date legal sports betting could take place in the Lone Star State.

Texas sport betting seems to have at least one prominent person on its side. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said legal sports betting in Texas is inevitable.