As Colorado prepares to ask voters to OK sports betting, a regional divide on the issue has surfaced

CHERRY HILL, N.J. — In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for every state to legalize sports betting , a regional divide has opened as states decide whether to expand their gambling options.

By year’s end, legalization is possible in a dozen states in the Northeast and Midwest. But most states in the Deep South and far West — SEC and Pac-12 territory in college sports — are staying on the sidelines, at least for now.

State lawmakers are weighing the benefits of a slight boost in state revenue and the ability to add consumer protections against concerns about the morality of allowing another form of gambling. Sorting out complex business interests and opposition from some casino-operating tribes also has emerged as thorny challenges.

It’s not clear whether legalization will happen in all corners of the country over the next few years or if opposition will keep it concentrated in the regions where it’s already taken root. Colorado voters will be asked in November to OK sports betting, the tax proceeds of which would mainly go toward paying for water issues in the state.

Read more: https://coloradosun.com/2019/06/23/sports-betting-colorado-other-states/