Is Sports Betting Legal in Vermont?
Peer pressure is going to be tough for some states to overcome in the push for legalized sports betting. So far, Vermont is not having any problems. With New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island already on board, Vermont isn’t making any hasty decisions. New Hampshire and Maine have explored some possibilities, but they aren’t moving at the breakneck pace of the other New England/mid-Atlantic states.
In fact, progress is virtually non-existent in Vermont. The state doesn’t have any casinos, despite repeated efforts this decade to get one started. Vermont does have a state lottery, but there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of interest in getting sports betting in The Green Mountain State. After all, Vermont gets a lot of revenues from natural resources and ranks 49th in population, so the financial impact of sports betting would not be all that significant.
Studies haven’t been commissioned as of yet in Vermont, but that would be the likely finding, especially when the state considers what it would take to run this operation through the lottery. Money for education is sorely needed in a lot of states, which is why they are entertaining the legalization of sports betting. Vermont is looking at other avenues and sports betting hasn’t even really made it to the floor.
It probably won’t anytime soon either. Some states can ill afford the loss of gaming dollars to neighboring and adjacent states, but with Vermont’s small population, the losses to nearby states is going to be very minor.
Recent News Stories About Sports Betting
The Burlington Free Press cited quotes from Governor Phil Scott shortly after the strike down of PASPA and he had very little to say on the issue of legalized sports betting.
An interesting column for VTDigger from Steve May made it sound as if gambling could very well be coming to Vermont and that preparations need to be made now.
In an editorial put together for a few publications, including the Manchester Journal, it sounds as if Vermont would be better off looking for different revenue sources outside of sports wagering.
Forecast
There aren’t a lot of dollars at stake in Vermont, which is why this issue is firmly on the backburner. It may move to the spotlight when the state resumes its legislative proceedings in 2019 or may get some run in 2020, but when there aren’t a lot of greenbacks on the table, things don’t really get discussed. That looks to be the case for Vermont. It would be a surprise to see betting in Vermont anytime soon.
Neighboring States
