When Tom Brady throws his first pass in the NFL’s opening game tonight, someone in Arizona might be betting on which Tampa Bay Buccaneer catches it. …
When Tom Brady throws his first pass in the NFL’s opening game tonight, someone in Arizona might be betting on which Tampa Bay Buccaneer catches it. Today is the first time Arizonians can bet online — betting on everything from who will win to the minute details of the game. The state joins 22 others and the District of Columbia where sports betting is legal. Connecticut, Maryland and Louisiana might not be far behind as the states and the gambling industry capitalize on the NFL’s popularity to entice more Americans to wager online. «NFL is the 800-pound gorilla for sports betting and for daily fantasy sports. It’s the one sport where you’ll see a lot of casual sports betters come out,» said Kevin Hennessy, director of publicity for FanDuel Group. «With nearly half of all U.S. states now live, this NFL season will be big for sports betting operators,» said Andre Zammit, head of trading at Tipico. «Legal betting has reached its mainstream tipping point, with every sportscast integrating statistics and odds into their commentary.» Gannett, the parent company of USA TODAY, has a partnership with Tipico, one of the top sports betting companies worldwide. And the interest in all kinds of online sports betting continues to grow. «Starting in mid-August, the volume of bets has boosted significantly,» Zammit said. «In years past, pre-season NFL games didn’t attract much interest…, but this year we saw a real spike, and turnover has grown week on week through Labor Day with NCAA football action.
