When the Patriots won the Super Bowl again — and covered the spread, too — all of New England was delirious, with the possible exception of Rhode Island’s tax collectors.
The state’s sportsbooks lost $2.35 million because, come on, really, who’s going to bet against Tom Brady in New England? That, in turn, cut into Rhode Island’s tax revenue.
For a variety of reasons, not just the Patriots’ star quarterback, most of the states that moved quickly to legalize sports betting after the Supreme Court cleared the way are still waiting for the expected payoff.