"This is a fantastic study, as it validates that legalized and regulated sports betting is necessary to preserve and protect the integrity of sport," said Bill Rutsey, CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association. "The CGA has been advocating for the same in Canada, and we continue to push for legislation and regulation that would take our current sports betting system out of the hands of illegal operators, who have no interest in transparency, accountability, or consumer protection."

The conditions in the US mirror those in Canada. As the study reports:

Americans want to bet on sports and prohibition has largely failed as the restrictions are ignored. Despite being illegal, betting on sports is a common and generally accepted activity for Americans.
Left unchecked, black market gambling in the United States has thrived. By way of example, an illegal sports bookmaker who was prosecuted in New Jersey in the late 1990s had an annual volume of $200 million, higher than the largest legal bookmaker in Las Vegas.