Las Vegas has become a sporting capital by exporting its distinctive appeal to the leagues that once snubbed it. But even in this era, when sports gambling has largely shed the stigma of organized crime, money laundering and moralizing from the professional leagues. In 2018, as other states legalized sports betting, Nevada sportsbooks showed wagers totaling $5 billion in 2023, and by 2028, a record high 69 percent of Americans agreed.