New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Mississippi are optimistic on decision by the Supreme Court on the sports betting case

Source: Nevada Gaming Control Board

“They’re all just sort of circling around the opportunity and getting ready to pounce,” said David Henwood, an analyst with the U.K.-based researcher H2 Gambling Capital.

Nevada, with a long history of sports betting, provides a window into what the rest of the country could look like. Marco D’Angelo, a professional gambler who sells sports picks in Las Vegas, has six apps on his smartphone. Just like a Wall Street trader, he can check the odds at establishments in the state. If MGM has a more favorable point spread on a particular game than the Golden Nugget, he no longer has to race between the properties to place his wager.

“It’s just like shopping online,” D’Angelo said.

Nevada Parlors

Nevada betting parlors also allow wagering while a game is being played. So if the team D’Angelo already bet to win is losing, he can gamble on a different outcome and perhaps recoup his money. Another type of wager, called a proposition bet, lets customers put money on outcomes other than the winning team, such as who the most valuable player will be. “A lot of times you find value in the game,” D’Angelo said.

Fans at University of Nevada basketball games or Golden Knights hockey games, for example, can be seen whipping out their phones to place bets. Last month, Super Bowl betting hit an all-time high, a 15 percent increase from the prior year. The college basketball championships, which began Tuesday, could see a similar bump.

The most likely winners from a favorable court decision will be existing operators -- casinos, horse tracks and lotteries. Many, and their suppliers, are already getting in position.