From Black Market to Big Business

[View in browser]( [Knoema]( Greetings, {NAME}: So-called “sin” businesses, such as marijuana and sports betting businesses, are on rise in the US as state governments struggle to close budget gaps widened by sweeping COVID-19 fiscal stimulus measures. As of today, 16 US states have adopted the legal use of marijuana and 20 states have launched online or retail legal sports betting. Knoema provides the public data you need to analyze these growing industries: demographics, surveys, state revenues, and more. In this newsletter, we highlight industry insights from our analytics team. Get involved! Send us your feedback at [datadriven@knoema.com](mailto:DataDriven@knoema.com). From the Headlines [🏈]([Valuation of Major League Sport Teams Outperformed Equity Markets]( [💵]([COVID-19 Pandemic Has Devalued Online Dollar]( [💊](//i7.t.hubspotemail.net/e2t/tc/VX6lpL6gQdRPW51kbXh7M6sZDVQq1454rf_g3N3wqV6f5nxG7V3Zsc37CgP-gW22RbJz5h58yxW7Jrm002zSq7jW4c1BH45s8Xp3V6pvq05DGbxMN5CzhW_B76ZyN7chxbY4GnzHN180N0qKQQSFW10m9Tr7PwS05W1PfWKs7_7y8cW5WDPhD4kQvpcVw1jqZ3F3l4LW1rD7n-3VMNw4W64b98x4J8v4dW28MVbj437-d3W5YJsLs38NST8W6jq26V27QWk7W88fS7N6HylqGN17gQDttn7VyW4fy3Sj2RCBgNW3wYJBy302S3KW22PlRs3-SLZlN8pQHW6dMfwYW4BqlwW2Y7y-cW1brfkl840dZFN7V-M7810HY_W6YtJ_R80Zh7QW2JS6CL1v4CMkW36_Dfr8WLbbBW6PcVwK5dt1HpN6zf0ZBJ7TWmN5yWgkpBSglPVFpF_32p6tm134sl1[2020 is the Deadliest Year in US Drug Overdose Epidemic]( Interested in what Knoema can do for your organization? [Get on a Call]( Data at Knoema [MHFW]( Despite being the world's biggest producer of vaccines, India is suffering an internal shortage of COVID-19 vaccine doses and has managed to inoculate just[15.7]( million people, around 12% of its population, against the coronavirus. [BEA]( The U.S. economy has made a robust recovery in 2021 thus far, as widespread vaccinations and government stimulus helped GDP grow at[6.4%]( on an annualized basis in the first quarter. Consumer spending, which accounts for around 68% of the U.S. economy, grew by [10.7%]( in Q1. [GAS]( Saudi Arabia’s merchandise exports grew[3%]( year-over-year in February, against a decline of[13.4%]( in the previous month, while non-oil exports increased[16.2%]( YoY in February 2021. The country’s oil exports experienced a modest drop of [1.7%](, an improvement over the decline of [20.5%]( in January. Latest Data-Driven Insights [US Sports Betting Industry is on the Rise]( Since 2018, when US states were given the power to legalize sports betting, the annual revenue of the sports betting industry has increased by five times, according to data from SportsHandle. Explore industry trends on [Knoema's sports betting dashboard](. [Support for Marijuana Legalization Among US Adults]( Gallup Poll Social Survey responses over the past twenty years indicate that support for marijuana legalization has been growing steadily in the United States. The most recent survey, conducted in 2020, finds that 68% of US adults now support legalization. Find more [cannabis industry and marijuana use]( stats at Knoema. [More DATA-DRIVEN Insights]( Insights Around the Web [AI]( [Stanford University](. The COVID-19 pandemic and worldwide government economic support have bolstered AI spending. In 2020 the total global investment in AI, including private investment, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and minority stakes, increased by 40% YoY, reaching a new total of $67.9 billion. [ACEA]( [ACEA](. The European car market is rapidly transitioning towards a zero-emission vehicle fleet. The latest data on car registrations shows that the share of petrol and diesel vehicles among newly registered vehicles dropped to 63% in Q1 2021, compared to 80% in Q1 2020. [UNCTAD]( [UNCTAD](. The dramatic rise in e-commerce amid movement restrictions in response to COVID-19 increased global online retail sales’ share of total retail sales from 16% to 19% in 2020, according to estimates in a recent UNCTAD report. [1db2adb7-c12f-4825-8c72-2bfd1e8c2798-1] Stay well. Charles Poliacof CEO, Knoema [knoema.com]( [Facebook]( [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( Copyright © 2021 Knoema. All rights reserved. You received this email because you are a registered Knoema user. Our mailing address is: Knoema, 31 East 32nd Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10016, United States [Unsubscribe]( [Manage preferences](