Most oppose college sports betting in their state: Survey

More than half of U.S. adults think it should be illegal to bet on college athletics, as states continue to embrace legal sports wagering, according to a new poll.

The AP-NORC poll found respondents largely support betting on professional sports but are much less likely to back the idea when it comes to college athletes.

A 2018 Supreme Court ruling struck down a federal law that prohibited all sports betting in most places. Sports gambling is now allowed in 38 states and Washington, D.C., and more states are considering legalization. Laws regulating it vary from state to state.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, legalization has provided “significant financial benefits” to states.

But 55 percent of people surveyed in the AP-NORC poll said they don't think wagering on college athletics should be legal in their state. Comparatively, 41 percent of the people surveyed said they don't think it should be legal to bet on professional sports.

The AP notes attitudes toward sports betting in general have not changed much over time, and respondents were about as likely to agree with legalization today as they were in 2019.

The AP-NORC poll surveyed 1,112 adults Feb. 6-10, using a sample drawn from the probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel. The margin of error is 4.1 percentage points.