OSGA

A historic defeat for the traditional online sports betting industry appears to be looming in the US state of Nebraska, the only state voting on the topic this election. Despite $23 million to $0 in support of legalizing it (according to Nebraska Plains Ledger data), the measure appears to be in big trouble. Only 41% of votes have been counted as of this post, but the tally for legalizing online sports betting is down ~7 points (NYT/AP). Nebraska would be just the second state after California in 2022 to reject legalizing online sports betting at the ballot box. Legal online sports gambling isn't as controversial as AI data centers, but it's quite unpopular. An Overton Insights poll from May found American voters opposed legalization 47% to 31%. Prediction markets, which offer sports betting outside state regulation, are even more controversial, according to other polling. Eight years after the Supreme Court overturned the federal prohibition, U.S. online sports betting has run amok, according to numerous public health experts and policymakers I've interviewed. The public appears to be turning on it. Even if Nebraskans narrowly approve it, the industry is losing favor with the American public. As a result, public health reform related to online gambling is gaining momentum.