Sports Betting Gets Boost With SEC Football Starting

The college football season kicked off this month, with the Southeastern Conference featuring a slate of key games through the Labor Day weekend.

These early season SEC matchups involve some of the top-rated teams in the country, including four conference teams in the Associated Press poll's top six. These four schools — Georgia, Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss — are playing over next few days, as are other top SEC teams.

‘Itching For Football'

Casey Lewless, sportsbook manager at Penn Entertainment casinos in Northwest Louisiana, told Gambling.com he expects a major boost in sports betting this weekend, especially with the LSU-USC showdown Sunday in Las Vegas.

“Football is king in the South,” he said. “It’s going to be a huge weekend for us.”

Overall, the SEC opening weekend, coupled with the addition of the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners to the conference this year, should boost betting this fall by 30% at the Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City, Lewless said.

He said the Labor Day weekend football schedule could “mimic a mini-Super Bowl” for the sportsbook.

“This area is itching for football to come back,” Lewless said.

In addition, the Margaritaville sportsbook will be converted to an ESPN Bet ticket counter on Sept. 14 in time for the LSU-South Carolina game on that day and the New Orleans Saints-Dallas Cowboys game the next day. That changeover also is expected to generate attention for the sportsbook and more betting action, Lewless said.

Labor Day Weekend SEC Odds

Below are major games through the Labor Day weekend featuring SEC teams:

Friday 8/30

Temple at 16 Oklahoma

Line: Oklahoma -42.5

Sat. 8/31

1 Georgia vs. 14 Clemson in Atlanta

Line: Georgia -13.5

Sat. 8/31

Colorado State at 4 Texas

Line: Texas -32.5

Sat. 8/31

Western Kentucky at 5 Alabama

Line: Alabama -31.5

Sat. 8/31

Furman at 6 Ole Miss

Line: Ole Miss -42

Sat. 8/31

7 Notre Dame at 20 Texas A&M

Line: Texas A&M -3

Sunday 9/1

13 LSU vs. 23 USC in Las Vegas

Line: LSU -4.5

Odds provided by BetMGM

Where Is Sports Betting Legal In SEC Country?

While SEC teams rank high in polling, sports bettors in several of those states won’t be able to wager legally on their local team.

Sports betting is legal is 38 states and Washington, D.C. — but not in half of the 12 SEC states, including the nation’s second most-populated state, Texas, represented in the conference by Texas A&M and, this year for the first time, the University of Texas.

During recent episodes of Gambling.com’s “The Edge,” two gaming experts, former Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns and gaming analyst Chris Grove, discussed why states like these have not legalized sports betting.

These six states represent a combined population of about 62 million, more than 18.5 % of the U.S. population. Athletic events are popular in the SEC states, with sports traditions dating back decades.

The SEC states without legal sports betting are:

• Texas (Texas A&M Aggies, Texas Longhorns)
• Oklahoma (Oklahoma Sooners)
• Missouri (Missouri Tigers)
• Alabama (Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers)
• Georgia (Georgia Bulldogs)
• South Carolina (South Carolina Gamecocks)

The other six SEC states have either in-person or mobile sports betting — or, in some cases, both. The SEC states with legal sports betting are:

• Arkansas (Arkansas Razorbacks)
• Louisiana (LSU Tigers)
• Kentucky (Kentucky Wildcats)
• Tennessee (Tennessee Volunteers, Vanderbilt Commodores)
• Mississippi (Mississippi State Bulldogs, Ole Miss Rebels)
• Florida (Florida Gators)

Missouri Sports Betting Ballot Initiative Faces Legal Challenge

Most SEC states without legal sports betting are expected to address the issue during future legislative sessions, but in Missouri, voters could get a chance on the November ballot this year to decide on legalizing sports betting there.

However, a recent lawsuit challenging the legality of the November ballot question could derail a public vote. The lawsuit can be read on the KCTV website. The issue is expected to be heard in court in early September.