The first 12-team College Football Playoff kicks off this weekend, hopefully bringing with it the upsets, drama, and suspense the sport is known for. The new, expanded format gives more schools a chance to compete for a national championship and more gamblers a chance to cash in (so they hope). One bettor has already placed a $1.5 million bet on Texas to win it all—at odds of +390, their payout would be $5.75 million.
Wagers have poured in from 38 states that have legalized sports betting. But sports betting is still illegal in states that are home to five of the 12 universities in the tournament: Idaho (Boise State), South Carolina (Clemson), Georgia (and the flagship Bulldogs), and Texas (Southern Methodist and the Texas Longhorns). (Wagering is legal in Oregon, but the state's lone sportsbook does not offer bets on college sports.)
In 2024, legislators in six states—Georgia, Hawaii, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Carolina—tried to legalize sports wagering. Missouri was the only state to successfully do so with the passage of Amendment 2 in December. Despite 2024's legislative failures, the push to legalize wagering will surely continue in the new year, especially since the practice is still illegal in some high-population states such as California.
In South Carolina, Rep. Chris Murphy (R–Dorchester) has prefiled House Bill 3625, which would legalize sports betting for individuals aged 18 years and older in the Palmetto State. The bill, which has bipartisan support, allows no more than eight licensed operators to exist and taxes their adjusted gross revenue at 12.5 percent. Monies generated from the tax would go toward mental health initiatives in the state. Despite bipartisan support for sports betting, powerful voices in the state, including Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, remain opposed.
Hawaii is waiting for the results of a study on the economic impacts of wagering, after legalization efforts failed this year. The Sports Wagering Working Group, created by the passage of House Concurrent Resolution 70, will offer recommendations and proposed legislation to Hawaii's lawmakers "no later than twenty days prior to the convening" of the 2026 legislative session.
Meanwhile, sports betting advocates in Georgia and Texas remain cautiously optimistic. In November, Texas Sen. Carol Alvarado (D–Houston) prefiled a bill to amend the state's constitution by legalizing sports wagering and allowing casino gaming at destination resorts (gambling is only permitted at three casinos in the state). Despite the support from industry, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R)—who presides over the Senate—remains staunchly opposed, according to Axios.
In the coming year Georgia, which does not allow gambling except through the state lottery, bingo, and raffles, may consider a version of last year's failed Senate Bill 386, per The Georgia Recorder.
The legalization push comes as some states are restricting the use of prop bets, which are wagers on individual statistics, like points scored or assists recorded, in college sports. The NCAA says 10 percent to 15 percent of Division I athletes have reported being harassed by disgruntled gamblers. Charlie Baker, the president of the NCAA, recently appeared before Congress in support of a federal ban on prop betting in college sports. Baker's position is shared by 16 states that have outlawed the practice outright.
Given its popularity and contributions to state coffers, sports betting is almost certainly here to stay. Hopefully, nanny state prohibition will be lifted, allowing adults to spend their money as they see fit.
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