By year’s end, it’s possible that roughly 20 states will have taken advantage of a recent Supreme Court ruling and legalized sports betting. The nation’s three most populous states are not likely to be among them.
California, Florida and Texas, with more than a quarter of the total U.S. population, are attractive markets for nearly any industry. That includes sports betting, given that these states are home to one-fourth of the franchises in the four major professional sports leagues.
And yet sports betting is not likely to be approved there anytime soon, if at all.
In California, casino-operating Native American tribes stand in the way. In Florida, a deal would probably need support from one powerful casino-operating tribe. And Texas has a long history of restricting gambling of any kind.