The online casino and sports betting market in the US is the subject of much interest from around the globe right now. As more states begin to legalize online gambling activity, so the opportunities for service providers, casino, and sports betting enthusiasts increase.
It’s an exciting time and one which other countries are watching with interest. People are seeing the opportunities presented by legalizing gambling such as online casinos, sportsbooks, fantasy sports, and lotteries.
They are keen to watch how the situation unfolds. So, what does the gambling landscape in the US look like right now, and what is the legal position in each state?
So, what do the experts think? While they dive deep into the topic, using resources and data to gain a clear picture of the legal situation and status of things. We used their findings of the online gambling situation in the US, to summarize everything below.
The legal position of online gambling in different states
Overall, only two states in the US, Hawaii, and Utah, do not allow gambling of any sort. In Alaska, it’s only permitted in certain situations on reservations, and never for games of chance.
The situation with online gambling is slightly different with fewer states having introduced legislation up to this point. Let’s look more closely at which states have introduced legal frameworks for online casino or sportsbook and what is permitted in each of these states.
| State | Date online sports betting introduced | Date online casinos introduced | Comments |
| New Jersey | May 15, 2018 | 2013 | Largest market for legalized gambling in the US. |
| New York | January 8, 2022 | N/A | Highest taxation on gross gaming revenue for mobile sports betting at 51%. |
| Louisiana | January 28, 2022 | N/A | Not legalized state-wide. Nine parishes have not yet introduced legislation. |
| Colorado | May 1, 2020 | N/A | |
| Michigan | January 22, 2021 | January 22, 2021 | |
| Pennsylvania | May 28, 2019 | July 2019 | |
| West Virginia | August 30, 2018 | July, 2020 | |
| Indiana | August 30, 2019 | N/A | |
| Illinois | March 9, 2020 | In-person registration required although this has been suspended during the pandemic. | |
| Tennessee | November 1, 2020 | N/A | |
| Iowa | August 15, 2019 | N/A | In-person registration was required until January 2020. |
| Virginia | January 21, 2021 | N/A | |
| Arizona | September 9, 2021 | N/A | |
| Connecticut | October 19, 2021 | October 19, 2021 | |
| Delaware | June, 2012 | Sports betting is legal in the state, but no online facility has been launched due to expense. | |
| Wyoming | September 1, 2021 | N/A |
Ongoing legal developments in the US online gambling market
The online casino and sports betting market has changed considerably in recent years, and it continues to evolve.
Sports betting has been signed into law in Ohio. Licenses for retail and mobile providers will start to be issued from April 2022.
In Maryland, a sports betting bill has been signed into law but there is no online provision yet. It’s expected that there will be around 60 sportsbooks eventually with the first ones potentially launching late in 2022.
Legislation to legalize sports betting (not specifically online) has recently been introduced in Kansas, Kentucky, and Minnesota. There is a good chance that this legislation will be enacted in some form at some point in 2022.
In Alabama and Oklahoma, legislation is pending and has not yet progressed through the legislature while in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa proposals to legalize online poker and casinos have failed. A further vote may take place in Iowa later in 2022.
The position regarding online poker and sports betting in California is currently stalled. But the situation in Massachusetts is slightly more positive as there appears to be growing momentum in the state.
Given the online shifting landscape, it will be interesting to take a look again in 12 months and see what further changes have happened.
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