ST PAUL, Minn. — Crypto and sports betting brought us some of the most talked about commercials of this year's Super Bowl, and gambling on the game reached a record high.
As sports betting explodes in popularity nationwide, many Minnesotans are asking: when's our turn?
In 2018, the Supreme Court struck down a national ban on sports betting, which before then was only legal in Nevada.
In just four years, 33 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized it. In many states, like Iowa, it can be as easy as placing a wager from your phone on your couch.
"Americans have always bet on sports," said Casey Clark, senior VP of the American Gaming Association. "I think what's changed is Americans now have access to the legal market more than ever before."
Clark estimates that one in 19 Americans placed a legal bet on the Super Bowl this year, spending roughly $1 billion, double last year's Super Bowl.
The AGA says with legalization comes legitimacy and protections for betters.
"There are much greater protections for American consumers when all of this activity is being watched by 4,000-plus regulators across the country who do this day in and day out," Clark said. "The alternative is keep that in the shadows and keep it in the illegal market and there are no protections for that."
Sports betting in the past has been synonymous with back alley bookies and Las Vegas, but PlayUSA projected that legal online bets in New York ($165 million) would rival Nevada ($175 million) on Super Bowl Sunday.
Tuesday night after the Olympics, KARE 11's Chris Hrapsky talks with key lawmakers and players in the gaming industry who say this year could be the year sports gambling becomes legal.