Where Bernie Sanders, Michael Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Stand On Legal Sports Betting

All of the top Democratic candidates for President of the United States are in Nevada this week.

Medicare for all will be discussed, as will border safety, foreign relations and all of the other typical debate talking points.

One matter that will likely not be brought up is the top candidates’ stances on legal sports betting in the United States. While Nevada is the wagering capital of the world, the state is lagging behind when it comes to legal online sportsbooks. All of the mobile books that are up and running in the state are tied to brick-and-mortar sites. FanDuel and DraftKings, which have become the “Big 2” in states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania, do not yet have a foothold in Nevada.

Bernie Sanders, Michael Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg on sports betting

Bernie Sanders’ home state of Vermont does not yet have legal sports betting but the long-time Senator is in favor of legalization.

Sanders believes that sports betting should be legal on a state-by-state basis “as long as there are restrictions on how much people can bet,” according to ISideWith.com.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is also in favor of legal sports betting. Bloomberg emphasized that that decision must be made on a “state-by-state basis,” according to ISideWith.com.

Joe Biden, the former Vice President of the United States, also thinks that those who want to wager on sports should be allowed to do so. Biden told Las Vegas Union workers late last year that he “doesn’t support adding unnecessary restrictions to the gaming industry like the Trump Administration has done.”

Elizabeth Warren agrees with Bloomberg that it should be on a state-by-state basis, as does Pete Buttigieg.

Trump’s stance on sports betting

When Donald Trump assumed the office of President of the United States, it felt like a given that he would be fully in favor of sports betting legalization across the board. That has not exactly been the case, however.

The former casino mogul backed the US Department of Justice’s interpretation of The Wire Act last year. It was a move which halted a good deal of the progress that had been made in 2018 by states looking to legalize sports betting.