Tennessee legalized sports wagering late last year. It’s biggest event to date has triggered one of the biggest controversies to emerge since the Supreme Court opened the nationwide betting floodgates nearly three years ago.
According to TNBets.com, via David Purdum of ESPN.com, Tennessee authorities recently announced that two of the state’s four official sportsbooks experienced “illegal” betting activity during Super Bowl LV. The situation, which remains under investigation, triggered the permanent closure of 74 betting accounts.
The four currently regulated sportsbooks in Tennessee are BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Action 246. Only BetMGM said that it’s not under investigation, according to Purdum. DraftKings and FanDuel declined comment. Action 247 referred all questions to the Tennessee Lottery.
The NFL, according to Purdum, said that it “appreciates the oversight of the Lottery to help promote the integrity of sports betting markets.” The Tennessee Lottery admits, however, that the situation “did not involve any event or game integrity-related matters.”
Still, no information has been provided regarding the reasons for the suspicious activity. Tennessee did not approve betting on non-football props, like the color of the Gatorade dumped on the winning coach. Per Purdum, the investigation currently involves potential violations of state and federal law.