We are more than a month into the legalized betting world in Tennessee, and unless it happened and no one told me, our ethics are intact. There was no demonic meeting in Memphis or an evil-doers convention in Chattanooga.
(That said, looking at the empty hotel rooms and facilities around our town, here's betting any convention just short of the National Association of Evil Doers would be more than welcome.)
So, a month in, Nash-Vegas still is a catchy nickname more than an accurate description, but the early returns have been strong.
The official handle for the first month has not been released yet, but the first week was bountiful - for the betting services and the state.
When legalized online betting went live on Nov. 1, $27.4 million was wagered and more than $23 million paid out in the first week of the month, including more than $5 million in bets on the first day, a Sunday with a full slate of NFL games.
That generated more than $500,000 in taxes paid to the state from the four online operators, and the overall amount wagered compares favorably to states of similar size and with similar formats.
For example, Indiana legalized sports gambling in September 2019, and activated online wagering the following month. Indiana's online operators handled a little more than $96 million in November 2019, a lofty amount for sure, and one that Tennessee could easily pass when the final numbers are made available.
Plus, Indiana had two months of ramp-up time before that November 2019 sample, something that bodes well for Tennessee's initial month.
In fact, the strong showing will likely have a more crowded landscape considering that some time before the end of the year, the Tennessee Education Lottery is expected to come to agreements with three more online betting houses.
If approved, Churchill Downs, William Hill and Wynn Interactive will join Action 247, BetMGM, DraftKings and FanDuel as state-approved sports betting partners.
It's not all parlays and triple 7s, however. There was a copyright controversy earlier this month between Action 247 and BetMGM.
Action 247 is the only in-state owned and operated partner, and as part of the initial push to catch eyes and attract bettors it used a poster with infamous Memphis wrestler Jerry "The King" Lawler with a caption that read, "The Real King of Sportsbooks."
BetMGM's attorney sent a letter to the Action 247 crew accusing it of trademark copyright infringement, since BetMGM has copyrighted and uses the phrase 'The King of Sportsbooks.'
Here's betting that this won't be the last dust-up in the days, weeks and months ahead in the state's betting battles.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.
Jay Greeson