New York punters have been freed from black market - ours must not be sent there
Start spreading the news. Based on what has happened in New York, we can easily deduce that black market betting is alive and well. As the UK government continues to work on its gambling review white paper, the numbers coming out of the Big Apple should provide an important and timely wake-up call.
It was just two months ago that online sports betting became a legal pursuit in New York State. Almost immediately, the amounts being wagered were eye-watering.
When four legal betting apps opened for business at 9am on Saturday, January 8, it marked a huge moment in the history of gambling. No US state bigger than New York had legalised online sports betting since the federal repealing of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018. By 9pm on that watershed Saturday, transaction volumes in New York had reached record levels, more than double the next highest state, Pennsylvania.
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