Welcome back to the final World Series of Politics of 2024! We’ve had some laughs, spilled a few tears and it’s time to gather round the wireless, celebrate 2024’s wins and look ahead to 2025.
It’s a packed final show, kicking off with the big win of 2024. Yes, Washington DC finally has a competitive sports betting market and revenue is around 15x higher than it was under the previous single-operator model.
Anything but a SAFE Bet
However last week’s congressional hearing on sports betting was arguably one of the low points of the year. Before it became truly surreal – apparently Amazon now sells spines, who knew? – it was beset by witnesses peddling outdated misconceptions to prop up their anti-prop bet argument.
If the hearing was meant to show that the Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet Act (SAFE Bet Act) would provide a firm federal hand on the tiller, it failed. In short, leave sports betting to the states.
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Heavens alive, it’s (almost) 2025
And next we move onto predictions, where Brendan Bussmann and Brandt Iden pit their wits against one another with a friendly bet on what happens in the 2025 legislative session.
It’s everyone’s favourite spectacle and throughout the World Series of Politics’ run ultimately translates to Brendan Bussmann buying Brandt Iden a case of Paul Hobbs pinot.
Could this finally be Brendan’s year? Or will Brandt make it four cases of pinot in 2025? And who on earth is that interloper jumping in at the end calling for progress in igaming?
