Betting On Sports To Save The Economy

Who would’ve thought an activity that is sometimes frowned upon could save your state’s economy?

2020 - still totally unpredictable,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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1. The economic impact of COVID has states across the country reeling from a lack of tax revenue. One solution many states are looking at is fast tracking legal sports betting. The Supreme Court struck down a federal law in 2018 that restricted sports gambling on a state level (with the exception of Nevada that already had legal sports betting). Since then, a handful of states have opened for betting and have achieved a notable revenue boost. HERE’S WHERE YOUR STATE STANDS

2. Despite other states being able to participate in sports betting, Nevada had a record setting year in 2019. The state saw a total of $5.32 billion placed in bets and a record $329 million in revenue, which produced $22.2 million in state tax revenue. Now this won’t replace all of the tax revenues lost, but many states are looking at it as an option because some tax revenue is better than nothing. SEEKING A SOLUTION

3. Now let’s talk a little more about betting to give you some context. The commissioners of the four major sports (baseball, basketball, football and hockey) have met to discuss integrating their leagues with sports betting entities. We've seen some movement on this but concerns over fixing games and gambling addiction are some of the reasons this isn’t an easy decision. NOT A SIMPLE SOLUTION

4. You’ve probably heard of online sites FanDuel or DraftKings. Where they differ from a casino is that those platforms provide you with an opportunity to wager money on a player’s performance in a game instead of the outcome of the game. This is similar to how you would win if you had a fantasy football team. CLEAR AS MUD?

5. The two most popular sporting events to bet on are the Super Bowl and College Basketball’s March Madness tournament. The Super Bowl went on as planned this year with over $6.8 billion wagered on the big game, but March Madness was cancelled. Twice the number of people bet on March Madness compared to the Super Bowl. Last year, Americans wagered $8.5 billion on the tournament and a big chunk of that was bet illegally through activities like office pools or via a bookie. DON’T TELL THE LEGAL DEPT.

Here’s a few resources for you should you want to know more: sports betting 101 and the five things you need to know about fantasy football.

5 Strange Sports Superstitions

We dove into our archives to bring you one of our favorite posts because superstitious or not, 2020 has us all wishing for a little luck and hope.

Superstitions - they’re only strange if they don’t work.

Best of luck,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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1. Anyone who has ever slipped into a pair of Spanx knows a good undergarment is the foundation of success. That brings us to the golden thong.  The golden thong was worn by former MLB (Major League Baseball) player Jason Giambi to help him break out of hitting slumps. Rumor has it that said tiny undergarment was left in the lockers of his teammates and they all began to hit well. WASH ME

2. In order to prepare for the World Cup (soccer) England’s Jamie Vardy ditched his habits of nicotine pouches, drinking half a bottle of port wine on the night before a game and his concoction of Skittles and vodka. Although, he drew the line at breaking his good luck gameday routine of three Red Bulls and black coffee. NO ONE IS PERFECT

3. Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL - National Hockey League) has so many ‘traditions’ that we can’t list them all. Some include wearing the same jock strap for years and not calling or seeing his mom or his sister on gameday because every time he does, he ends up with an injury. PHONE HOME

4. Superstitions are part of soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s routine. He must be the last one to leave the locker room and he always puts his right foot on the field first. BEST FOOT FORWARD

5. Head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Nick Saban, fuels his fire with a Little Debbie Oatmeal Crème Pie before each game. DOESN’T THAT BRING YOU BACK TO YOUR CHILDHOOD? 

Athletes And Their COVID Acts Of Kindness

Instagram: Shaun White

In times of crisis, so many people have stepped up to do what they can to help. Even the smallest acts of kindness have a lasting impact.

Tough times don’t last but tough people do, 

The Last Night’s Game Team 

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1. Fanatics founder and Philadelphia 76ers (NBA -National Basketball Association) minority owner Michael Rubin started the All-In Challenge to provide food to those in need – kids, elderly and frontline heroes. So far they have raised over $51 million for COVID relief efforts. Rubin tapped into his famous friends like author and speaker Gary Vaynerchuk and actor Kevin Hart who then challenged their famous friends by donating once in a lifetime raffle and auction items. Some examples include a double date with Ciara and Seattle Seahawks (NFL – National Football league) Russell Wilson, which went for $240,000, New England Patriots (NFL) owner Robert Kraft’s Super Bowl ring (sold for $1.025M) or you could be eaten by a dinosaur in the next Jurassic Park movie (sold for $250k). The list is long and includes something for everyone. SHOPPING FOR GOOD

2. Teams like the Dallas Mavericks (NBA) joined together to provide meals to first responders and help local small businesses at the same time. Players took turns purchasing meals from local restaurants to feed first responders in hospitals, clinics and on the road like paramedics. Mavs owner Mark Cuban took it a step further, reimbursing Mavs staff who purchased meals from local establishments as well as reimbursing the Mavs’ nonprofit partners who fed their volunteers and staff when they chose local. HELPING WHERE IT HURTS

3. Olympic snowboarder and skateboarder Shaun White drove by some kids who were out in their yard skateboarding. The kids had made him a sign asking if he would skateboard with them. Donning a mask, he hopped out and did a little safe distance skateboarding with the neighborhood crew. MAKING MEMORIES

4. With the Summer Olympics postponed, Team USA no longer had to feed its athletes but what to do with the 18,000 pounds of food they already had? They donated the pallets of food to the food bank in Colorado Springs, CO which is home of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. FIGHTING FOOD INSECURITIES

5. Many of us don’t think about the challenges of online schooling as we have access to a computer or a tablet. For so many students, this was one of the big hurdles to overcome when it came to successful home schooling. Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets (NBA) donated laptops to Houston area students for online classes. He also delivered meals to nurses in a Los Angeles hospital and provided masks and PPE to hospital workers in hard hit communities. MAKING AN IMPACT

Honorable mentions for athletes like Lionel Messi (soccer), Novak Djokovic (tennis) and Drew Brees (NFL) who along with their colleagues and their leagues, teams and team owners donated millions of dollars to relief efforts.  WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER