The official sports betting numbers for the month of May were released today. When comparing the reports of New Jersey to that of Las Vegas (Nevada) we see that New Jersey edged out Nevada in total handle, ie. bets taken. $318.9 million in sports bets were placed in New Jersey at legal brick and mortar shops as well as sports betting apps. Nevada reported a total handle of $317.4 million.
This is the first time in history that a state has beat Las Vegas in total sports betting handle. That is because before last year, no other state offered fully legalized sports wagering.
Sports betting legislation is being passed on a state-by-state basis and there are a handful of states that wil be competitive (numbers-wise) with Nevada. In fact, states such as New York, Florida and California, that have huge populations, will eventually exceed Las Vegas’ handle on the regular once sports betting is allowed. But man of the larger states are lagging behind in the rush to sports betting regulation. You can see where each state stands by checking out our sports betting legality guide.
image from shleppers.com