for more on this. We're joined by joe Ranieri
sports betting analysts at sports grid.
How much of a boost do you think the
conference championships will give the sports betting market?
Um it'll be huge.
Football is king when it comes to sports betting and
when you look at the handles in las Vegas alone
over the years and now of course New Jersey and
I believe Louisiana just went active earlier this week.
So
it continues to grow and grow and grow. And there is,
it's not a shock that a lot of these states
have have gone online with mobile betting right around the
time that we are going to be talking about games
like this coming up and of course the big game,
the Super Bowl.
So football drives the sports betting market for sure.
Oh definitely.
And the NFL really has for the first time embraced legalized sports betting.
Do you think they're going to continue with
it and they'll be happy with their decision.
Let me think if there's money to be made.
Yes, they will absolutely embrace it, you know that and I know it's all about,
it's all about the Almighty dollar if they can make money.
Um They will absolutely do.
We saw them do it years back with
the whole fantasy football with Draftkings and Fanduel.
Um It was a problem until of course they could start
benefiting and profiting from it then it wasn't a problem anymore.
So I feel the same situation here with,
with sports betting and sports betting companies for sure.
Now, as you mentioned, football is king in the sports betting industry.
But what do you think about the Australian open? Will tennis have the same vibe?
Yeah.
And listen I would love to say I can stay up till three
o'clock on the east coast here in florida and watch the Australian open.
But no I can't. Um it's but it's
it's Nadal, there's a big name that is left now with the Australian open.
So uh there will certainly be the tennis backers.
The folks that follow the sport are going
to be real excited about the the championships with
a guy that is very familiar with holding up trophies and rafael Nadal.
So if you have a big name like that, even if you don't follow the sport,
there's gonna be eyeballs on that this week.
And legalized sports betting in the US doubled in 2021.
With the launch of legal wagering in about 11 states. Now.
Do you think this is going to get even bigger in 2022?
Oh absolutely.
Yeah,
I mean more and more states are going online or approving and I
happen to be in florida and um they're uh this uh this year,
they,
the technicalities that will be on the ballot and people will be voting for it.
And as you look at that grid there on the screen,
I mean it's uh it's not going anywhere, it's a billion dollar industry,
it's a windfall.
Um for states and their coffers. So I don't see this going away anytime soon.
In fact, um,
it could be one of the fastest rising industries
here over the next couple of years by far.
Well, last question, you're kind of touching on it now, there's so many pandemic.
Fads that come up.
So you think this is here to say it's not going to go away with the pandemic.
Listen,
people have for as long as there has been sports and
the ability for people to get together and bet on something.
Um, yes, uh, if there were two turtles in the White House area,
I would bet on to see which one would would win a race.
So yes, it's been around a long, long time.
It's not going anywhere.
And the more states that, that go online, I think the more people, the casual
Uh,
fan will always makes it a little more interesting when you have $5
on a certain team or a certain person in a sporting event.
Uh, it makes you watch that sport a little bit closely.
And uh, I think that's that's not going away. That's just human nature.
It's not going away anytime soon.
You're so right, joe and money involved.
Everyone's eyes are definitely glued to that screen.
Thanks joe Ranieri sports betting analyst at sports grid