How Sports Betting Could Affect the Elections

The idea of sports betting affecting an election outcome seems odd. But just like any other industry, there are revenues from sports betting and online gambling. And revenues from the industry could contribute a lot to the government, national or local, in terms of taxes and licensing fees. A top bookie pay per head earns thousands, and the potential to earn more is growing as more states legalize sports betting. You can check out some pay per head reviews to see how.

In the case of Tennessee, the Governor post could be affected by sports betting. The two contenders for the post are Bill Lee (Republican) and Karl Dean (Democrat). In a recent televised debate, Bill Lee has said that organized betting “frequently develops into organized crime that we don’t need in our state.”

Sports Betting in Tennessee

Currently, sports betting is not allowed in the state. There are also no casinos operating in Tennessee. Their neighboring states, however, do have casinos. A point raised by Karl Dean, is the money from betting should not go over state lines. “We are going to have every state surrounding our state with sports betting and people will be going to those states spending money instead of here.” Dean remarked.

Looking at the voting figures of the state, they tend to swing towards a majority of Republicans. The 2016’s presidential election shows 60.7% voted for the GOP. On November 6, whoever wins will be replacing republican Governor Bill Haslam.

If Republicans will win, then its safe to assume that locals will have to keep driving to neighboring states to bet on sports. But it would not be such a bad idea to open gambling in the state – the revenues from licenses alone would be a key contributor to the state coffers. You also have the potential for increasing employment opportunities. The taxes from revenues will be icing on the cake. We’ll hear more about situations like these in gambling industry news in the next few months.