Which States Are Most Likely To Legalize Online Casinos Next?
We have seen plenty of states in the US legalizing online gambling in the past two years. However, many of these states have legalized online sports gambling, whereas online casino legislation has been slow.
Tyrese GriffinJun 23, 202265 Shares863 Views
We have seen plenty of states in the US legalizing online gambling in the past two years. However, many of these states have legalized online sports gambling, whereas online casino legislation has been slow. At the time of writing, only four states have legalized online casinos, with those people residing in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Michigan having legal access to online casinos. Are we likely to see more states legalizing online casinos in the US and if so, which states could be about to make the move?
Real Money and Sweepstake Casinos
It is worth noting, the law regarding new online usa casinosdiffers to that of sweepstake casinos. As sweepstake casinos can be played without using real money, they do not fall under the same regulations as real money online casinos. You can use gold coins and play at sweepstake casinos for fun whereas real money online casinos feature games that can be played using your own funds. So, while there are plenty of states that offer sweepstake casinos, the same cannot currently be said for real money casinos.
Legalized Online Sports betting Could Lead to Online Casinos
However, that could be about to change as we see the possibility of more states legalizing online casinos. Legalizing online casinos is different to legalizing online gambling, as the latter can include sports betting and poker, which are two separate forms of online gambling in the eyes of the law. Massachusetts, California, Maine, North Carolina, Maryland, and Ohio are all states that could see the introduction of legalized online gambling in 2022. That does not necessarily mean the legalization of online casinos and they could all introduce legal online sportsbooks or poker rooms.
It is worth noting those who have already legalized sports betting and Maryland falls into that bracket. Maryland legalised online sports betting at the end of 2021 and its likely they will make a move to legalise online casinos next. The process to legalise online casinos is long and tough, meaning it could take some time to happen, but the interest is certainly there for Maryland governors to make it a reality. It is unlikely to happen in 2022 but we expect Maryland to be one of the next states in the US to legalize online casinos.
Illinois is another state to have already legalized online sports bettingand could be about to do the same for online casinos. There are few obstacles to overcome in terms of creating the legislation to make online casinos a reality in Illinois but there could be a problem when it comes to passing the legislation. There has been a lot of construction work happening in Illinois and several new land-based casinos are in development. Those who have invested heavily in the creation of new brick and mortar casinos in Illinois are not going to back the legalization of online casinos.
Bills Put Forward in Indiana
Indiana could be the next state to legalize online casinos. Indiana is home to many land-based casinos but with legal online sports betting enjoying enormous success, we could be about to see bills passed to legalize online casinos. In January 2022, several bills were put forward for the legalization of online casinos in Indiana, with the overall aim of legalizing iGaming. The governing bodies have some important decisions to make regarding legalizing online casinos in the Hoosier State and these decisions could be made in the latter part of 2022.
Some of the other states to have introduced a bill for legalizing online casinos include Louisiana, New York, and New Hampshire. It will be interesting to see which state wins the race to be the next home of legal online casinos in the US.
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