“A peacock that rests on its feathers is just another turkey.”
A Dollyism from “The Queen of Country” and Tennessee’s own Dolly Parton. It seems like Tennessee took this abstract thought from Dolly and applied it to their sports betting philosophy. Known as an “non gambling” state, legislators filed a bill to legalize sports betting. The Governor decided to let it pass making TN allow the first form of gambling in its state.
Nashville and Memphis are the two biggest cities with about 700,000 and 630,000 people respectively. These cities host the only three professional teams in the state. Nashville has the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. Memphis has the Memphis Grizzlies.
Collegiate athletics carry a lot of the sports weight in TN. The major brands are Tennessee, Memphis, Vanderbilt, Belmont, Chattanooga, Middle Tennessee State and Austin Peay.
The Volunteer State is famous for their country music scene. They also became famous in 2020 for becoming the first state to legalize mobile only sports gambling. With the inevitable wave of legalization, TN found a way to stay up to date in the market.
Yes, gambling is legal in Tennessee. Governor Bill Lee allowed House Bill 1 to go into law without his signature despite him being opposed to legalized sports betting. It was officially legalized in April 2019. The first online sportsbooks launched on November 1st, 2020.
There are now roughly a dozen online sportsbooks operators in Tennessee despite their non-gambling reputation. Mobile sportsbooks are the only form of gambling allowed in the state. There are no brick-and-mortar casinos or horse race books.