States With Legalized Online Gambling
The state's one legitimate gambling option is a small 'casino cruise' with a few table games, gaming machines, and a tiny sportsbook and bar. Georgia lawmakers appear poised to outlaw all forms of online gambling, as they've recently moved to make daily fantasy sports wagers illegal under the state's broad definition of gambling. There are three states that currently offer legal online gambling in the USA- Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey. Delaware was the first state to legalize online gambling with the passage of the Delaware Competitiveness Act of 2012. All three states have regulated online poker and casino sites, however, the rules differ slightly. “Live, Legal” denotes states where single-game sports betting is legally offered to consumers through retail and/or online sportsbooks. States classified as “Legal – Not Yet Operational” have authorized sports betting, but have yet to launch. “Active or Pre-Filed Legislation” denotes jurisdictions where bills to legalize single. Online gambling and poker legislation in the U.S. Is changing on a state by state basis. New Jersey, for example, legalized online gambling and poker in November 2013, offering some hope to U.S. Players in other states for online casinos. Read below for a breakdown of other states to see the latest law updates. There are several states which have legalized online gambling, including Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey, and nearly two dozen states have already either passed or are on the verge of passing laws to legalize sports betting as of the date of the PASPA repeal.
January 9, 2020You might be wondering what states will legalize online gambling in 2020, and you have a couple of different states that have a high likelihood of legalizing it in the coming year. Some of the states with the most potential for legalizing online gambling include Illinois, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Louisiana and New Hampshire.
The Reasons for This Prediction
A few different reasons exist for why people believe that online gambling laws in these states might change with the coming year. First, some of these states expressed an anxiousness to legalize sports betting. While some of the states only had an interest in legalizing sports betting, you had other states will to extend this even beyond sports betting. The legalization could get extended to casino games and poker. Because of this, you could see other states willing to imitate the success of other states. One of the great advantages of allowing for online gambling comes from the fact that the government can tax it and create a new form of revenue.
What Will We See in 2020?
With 2020 here, we can try to figure out what will happen in the coming year. You have a few different possibilities, but we will likely continue to see a trend of legalization among the states. In 2019, you had two other states that joined the online gaming market, and we will most likely see the same in 2020. The internet gaming revenue in Pennsylvania and New Jersey have both shined as a beacon of reason for legalizing online gaming. More states will most likely follow the trend.
Michigan and West Virginia have already begun drawing up a framework and system for issuing licenses to the different casinos. This could have a domino effect where other states see the effectiveness in it and choose to take part in it as well.
Online poker fans continue to hope that their state will legalize online gaming. They remain hopeful for these new developments. New York could be a big one that we see legalize online gaming in 2020. Part of this comes from how they have had issues with their land-based casinos, and they may want to provide online gambling as a way of competing with the neighboring state New Jersey. In general, lawmakers have also shown a tendency for supporting the legalization of online poker. That's good news for anyone who loves playing poker.
Online gambling in the US has come a long way. It’s been a path filled with hardships and successes to balance out the efforts of everyone involved. We witnessed the rise of the Internet and the first online casinos, poker rooms, and sportsbooks operating across the state.
In 2011 we saw the ultimate ban on online gambling platforms and a few years later its reinstatement as a legal activity. In the past years, there have been a lot of changes and progress regarding online gambling legalization. It’s safe to say there is still plenty left to be seen on this front.
News Highlights
- Online gambling is exclusively legal in select US states
- Multiple states have pending legislation on regulating their online gambling market
- West Virginia is set to become the fifth state to legalize online gambling in the US
States With Legalized Online Gambling Casinos
Legal Online Gambling in the US
The first laws regarding legal online gambling in the US were introduced back in 2013. Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware all used their right to regulate the online gambling market on their territory, with the former focusing on online poker action, while the latter two additionally set up legislation for online casino sites.
States Online Gambling Is Legal
These states additionally set up a shared poker player pool in order to increase player traffic on their respective platforms. They are currently the largest network operating in the US.
Four years after the first states addressed the issue, Pennsylvania followed suit and passed the House Bill 271 in late 2017. This move officially legalized online casino and poker gambling in the state, with sports betting to be added by the following year.
In May 2018, the Supreme Court overruled the PASPA act as unconstitutional and provided US states with the grounds to introduce specific regulation for legal sportsbooks. So far, eight states have taken note and legalized online sports betting practices in their jurisdictions:
A recent DOJ opinion of the 1961 Wire Act has caused some turmoil in regard to legal online gambling practices. The Office of Legal Council put forward a new interpretation under which interstate gambling is completely forbidden across all online gambling forms. Consequently, this brought uncertainty to states with fully legalized online casino and gambling markets, as well as those with pending legislation.
US States Set to Introduce Legal Online Gambling
The following are some of the US states that are on the path of legalizing online gambling.
West Virginia
West Virginia passed the bill into law in late March 2019. Governor Jim Justice let the 15-day period pass without vetoing the House Bill 2934, officially allowing state officials and regulatory bodies to set up a proper procedure. Application and licensing fees are already expected to benefit the budget, with the first operators estimated to launch by 2020.
Michigan
After a favorable House vote, Michigan officials moved their online gambling legislation towards the Ways and Means Committee. The bill is now waiting on its final approval before landing on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk. There are no specific predictions about the launch, although many expect it sometime in 2020.
Virginia
The SB 1126 was officially signed by the second half of March, moving Virginia one step closer to legal online gambling. Although the bill referred to this, it’s not intended to legalize the practice, but only to ask for a comprehensive study from the Joint Legislative and Review Commission in the state. The legal process is set to continue after the final deadline on December 1, 2019, although final legislation isn’t expected before the year’s end.
New York
Primarily sponsored by Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., the SB 18 is expected to legalize online poker gameplay in the state sooner rather than later. New York was actually among the first to break the ice this year, and are expecting to introduce 11 legal online poker platforms for players aged 21 or more.
Nevada
Nevada’s latest bill refers to mobile device gambling, expanding the industry’s market in terms of availability rather than diversity of gameplay. It aims to define the term most transparently, thus setting even better grounds for further growth in the near future.
Which State Will Be Next to Legalize Online Gambling?
As things stand so far, West Virginia is most poised to become the fifth state in the US to introduce legal online gambling practices. They have passed the necessary bill into law, have a formulated structure in terms of application fees – initial charge of $250,000 and renewal charge set at $100,000, as well as a tax policy set at a 15% rate.
The uncertainty surrounding the DOJ’s opinion remains pertinent, although things are looking for the better, and Pennsylvania’s official announcement about launching their platforms mid-July are proof of this.