Gambling online is becoming a reality in most states across the United States. The industry has been growing exponentially over the past few years and we’re starting to see new states offering regulated online gambling. This includes sports betting, casino games and daily fantasy sports. While some states have been slow to get on board with legalizing these new forms of gaming, most have now passed laws and regulations that allow players to place bets legally.
In the beginning, many states were afraid to open up the online gambling market because of the federal ban on online sports wagering (PASPA). The federal law was a loophole in anti-racketeering laws that predate the internet and didn’t entirely apply to modern digital wagering. This was resolved in 2011 when the Department of Justice reinterpreted the Wire Act of 1961 to apply only to sports betting and not other forms of online gambling. This decision opened the door for many states to legalize and regulate online gambling.
As of right now, most states offer regulated online sports betting, but not all have legalized casino games and poker. There are a number of reasons behind this. Some states are worried about morality and how gambling could affect their communities, while others want to make sure that the activities are regulated by reputable organizations. It’s also important to remember that the vast majority of online casinos and poker sites promote responsible gaming and offer ways for players to self-exclude or set loss limits if they feel that their gambling is getting out of hand.
There are currently 28 states that have regulated online casinos and poker rooms, including Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware. However, New York has not yet passed any legislation to allow for this type of gambling. The state does have a lottery, which is an established form of gambling in the US. However, the only way that people in New York can gamble online is through unregulated offshore casinos or by playing at a land-based casino that does not have a license to offer this type of activity.
The most recent addition to the list of states that offer regulated online casinos is West Virginia. Governor Jim Justice, who owns the Greenbrier resort in the state, helped bring this law to pass, and it became a reality in March of 2021. This was followed by DraftKings and BetMGM launching their online casinos in the same month.
Despite some concerns about morality and other issues, the overwhelming majority of Americans support legalizing and regulating online gambling. In fact, there are only two states that do not currently allow any form of gambling: Utah and Hawaii. In Utah, this is primarily due to the large Mormon population in the state, and in Hawaii it’s because residents feel that gambling will negatively impact the family atmosphere. Other than these two holdouts, most states have no problem with allowing citizens to gamble online and are looking to expand the offerings.