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Millions wagered in first week of Tennessee sports gambling

November 17, 2020 GMT

FILE - In this May 2, 2019, file photo, the DraftKings logo is displayed at the sports betting company headquarters in Boston. Sports daily fantasy and betting website DraftKings will debut as a publicly traded company Friday, April 24, 2020, against a backdrop of a near-complete shutdown of athletic competition across the globe due to the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Gamblers in Tennessee wagered more than $27 million in the first week of the state’s online sports betting program, officials said.

From Nov. 1 through Nov. 8, the adjusted gross income from gambling was more than $2.5 million, and the amount of tax money generated was $509,000, according to the Tennessee Education Lottery, which oversees sports wagering in Tennessee.

More than $5 million in bets was placed on Nov. 1, the first day of online gambling in the state, officials said.

Sports betting barely passed the Tennessee legislature in spring 2019. Republican Gov. Bill Lee let it become law without signing it due to his opposition to more gambling in a state without casinos.

Operators such as DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM take bets from people 21 or older who are physically located in Tennessee at the time a wager is placed.