How US Sports Betting Won Over Pro Leagues and ESPN: QuickTake

Online sports betting has exploded in the few years it has been widely legal in the US. Companies like DraftKings Inc. and FanDuel Inc. are ubiquitous on TV, radio, billboards and social media. All the major US sports leagues now have partnerships with betting platforms. In August, ESPN struck a 10-year, $1.5 billion deal with a casino operator to license its widely known brand, capitalizing on the surge in interest in sports betting as more states have legalized it.

1. How did all of this happen so fast?

Until just a few years ago, if you wanted to bet on ...