An official ball for the NFL Super Bowl LIV football game that was made at the Wilson Sporting Goods Co. in Ada, Ohio, Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. The Kansas City Chiefs will play the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2, in Miami. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — One thing that struck Rep. Mary Moore during a trip to Las Vegas a few years ago was how many people she saw were wagering money on Alabama football games, something that remains illegal in the very state the Crimson Tide calls home.

To Moore, D-Birmingham, Alabama could be getting in on that money–the same as 13 other states that have already legalized sports betting and seven more that are getting ready to implement it–but she’s not optimistic about it happening anytime soon.

“People have been asking for different forms of gaming, but when it gets to Montgomery, it depends on what the ruling party has to say,” Moore said.

This comes in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, where the American Gaming Association predicts 26 million Americans will wager an estimated $6.8 billion, by legal and illegal means, on whether the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Francisco 49ers will emerge winner. The predictions come from a survey conducted by Morning Consult among 2,200 respondents.

According to AGA predictions, roughly 52% of those betting on the Super Bowl will go with the Chiefs while 48% will bet on the 49ers.

Bill Miller, president and CEO of the AGA, said sports betting has an effect on football viewership. During the regular NFL season, viewership the networks averaged roughly 16.5 million viewers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. During the last Super Bowl, viewership during the 2019 Super Bowl exceeded over 100 million people across streaming and broadcast platforms.

“When Americans have skin in the game, it is more likely they will tune in,” Miller said during a conference call with reporters this week.

Breaking down the numbers, Miller believes that roughly 4 million people will wager through a casino or other brick-and-mortar location while 5 million will do so through an online platform, be it a legal operator or illegal offshore book. Millions more will do so through either bookies or casual wagers between family and friends.

In 2018, the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, opening the door for states to decide whether or not to legalize sports betting. Since the decision, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has not taken a public position on sports betting, saying it was an issue for the Legislature to decide.

During the last legislative session, Moore co-sponsored a bill with Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham, that would have permitted betting on both collegiate and professional sports, as well as establishing a commission to oversee sports wagering statewide. It did not get far in the legislature and stalled.

During the same session, Rep. Kyle South, R-Fayette, sponsored a bill to legalize daily fantasy sports. That bill passed and became law.

As of Friday, there were no prefiled bills related to sports betting for the upcoming session, which starts Feb. 4.

There are still many states that have not legalized sports betting. In fact, California and Missouri, where the 49ers and Chiefs respectively call home, have not legalized it yet. However, Miller believes that as the demand for betting increases, more states will consider allowing it.

“I think there has been an evolution,” he said.

Moore said sports betting would simply allow more taxable money to come into Alabama that can be used for much-needed improvements.

“We barely have the taxes coming in to help out the general fund,” she said. “We need more for the resources that we need to have a top rated education for the entire state.”

However, other Alabama politicians see it differently. During an appearance on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal” in 2018, Rep. Rich Wingo, R-Tuscaloosa, said he was scared about the effect sports betting could have not just on people, but on sports itself, adding how during his time with the Green Bay Packers, the FBI would periodically come to inform players on how how gamblers could try to influence different players for their own gain.

“There’s going to be infiltration, there’s going to be compromise, there just is,” Wingo said. “And whenever money is involved, I hate it because it’s going to pervert the game.”

At the moment, the lottery and gambling are two issues that could likely take hold of the legislature this year with a proposed bill to establish a lottery to benefit education as well as a proposal that would essentially give the Poarch Band of Creek Indians a monopoly on gaming in the state through a compact.

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