Editorial

$251.3 Million Was Bet On Sports In New Jersey In July

OPINION
Divisional Round - Boston Red Sox v New York Yankees - Game Three

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
Font Size:

A staggering amount of money was bet on sports in New Jersey in the month of July.

According to Darren Rovell on Wednesday afternoon, an incredible $251.3 million was bet last month, which brings the total over the past 13.5 months to around $3.5 billion. It’s worth noting there aren’t even really any major sporting events going on in the summer other than baseball.

That makes the total wagered even more impressive.

It’s numbers like the ones above that only make me even more convinced sports gambling should be legalized from sea to shining sea. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)

Seriously, what is the argument against it? Do some people just hate cash? Do the states not want to make a ton of revenue?

At this point, you’d pretty much have to be a straight up communist to not want to have sports gambling across America.

Here’s the reality of the situation. People are going to gamble on sports whether it’s legal in their state or not. The state governments have to make the decision on whether or not they want a piece of the pie or want it all to stay overseas in offshore books.

To me, it’s an easy decision. They should legalize, get a piece of the action and everything would be perfect. Clearly, New Jersey has had no problem making the cash rain down.

At this point, you really just must not understand economics or how gambling works if you’re against legalized sports wagering across the country.

Let’s hope sports gambling is legal in all 50 states sooner than later. It’s truly a national embarrassment that it’s already not.

P.S.: I’ll be in Vegas for the start of the college football season, and you best believe I’ll be wagering left and right because I actually believe in freedom.