Legal sports betting coming soon to several US states

Published May. 15, 2018 3:16 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON -- A decision by the Supreme Court means American sports fans will soon have many more places to place legal bets on the results of football, baseball, basketball, hockey and other sports.

Five states have the edge in the race to legalize sports betting because they've already passed laws contingent on the Supreme Court striking down the 1992 federal ban on such gambling. That happened Monday as the high court ruled 6-3 against a 1992 law that barred state-authorized sports gambling with some exceptions.

Missouri is one of seven other states with active legislation to legalize sports betting.

Several states including Indiana and Kansas could follow in the coming months or years as they seek to capitalize on the economic growth and tax revenue that legal gambling can bring.