While Americans are now able to wager on sports via legal and regulated operators in 38 states, and through online sportsbooks in 30 of those states, by comparison, the evolution of online casino gambling has proven to be taking place at a snail’s pace.
Only six states – New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Michigan, West Virginia and Connecticut – are offering legal and regulated casino sites via online or through a mobile app.
Will that landscape be changing in the near future? Are there US states currently in the process of legalizing online casino gambling in 2024?
Let’s take a look at the states that are moving in that direction and exactly what stage they are at in the process.
New York
Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. was the driving force who pushed online sports betting into law in the Empire State. He’s also been a major backer of online casino gambling in New York. So far, though, the process simply isn’t gaining any traction with state lawmakers. It failed to gain passage in 2023.
The bill is back on the table for 2024. Addabbo estimates the online casino gambling could generate $1 billion in annual revenue for the state. As part of the bill, the online betting sites currently operating in New York would be given first dibs at garnering online casino licenses.
Here is a list of the first NY casino sites to launch.
Maryland
Already seeing success with online sports betting, State Senator Ron Watson last year put forth Bill SB0267, which would legalize online casino gambling and online poker. However, the bill, introduced in 2023, failed to go forward in the statehouse.
Watson is introducing a newer version of the bill this year. It would double the license fee to operate an online casino and offer 12 licenses up for grabs in the state. A poll of 1,000 Maryland residents conducted late in 2023 showed that 75% of respondents were in favor of the introduction of legal and regulated online casino gambling in the state.
Here are the top casinos to launch in Maryland.
Maine
Sports betting was legalized in Maine in 2022 and now, via Bill LD 585, Rep. Laura Supica (D-Bangor) is seeking to also add online casino gambling. However, the proposed bill would only give access to deliver the product to tribal-run casinos.
There’s no indication that any of the major online casino brands in the USA would be part of the picture. DraftKings and Caesars are the only online sports betting operators currently active in Maine.
Indiana
A study commissioned by the Indiana Gaming Commission and conducted by Pennsylvania-based Spectrum Gaming Group was released late in 2023 and wound up showing that the introduction of online casino gambling in the Hoosier State would make no impact in revenue earned by the state’s tribal run land-based casinos, horse racing, or the state lottery.
The study also suggested that the introduction of legal and regular casino gambling in Indiana could generate more than $400 million annually in revenue for the state. However, the Republican-controlled state assembly is currently displaying no appetite for the expansion of gambling in Indiana. The belief is this resistance stems from the conviction of Republican state representative Sean Eberhart for corruption connected to Indiana’s 2019 gaming law that introduced online sports betting to the state.
View the top list of Michigan’s online casinos.
How many US states are offering access to online casino gambling
Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware and Connecticut are the only states that currently offer legal and regulated casino gambling in the USA.
What are the online options if your state doesn’t have online casino gambling?
Most every state in the union offers access to free to play social casinos online. Washington is the only state in which such casinos are strictly prohibited.
What is the legal age to play online casino gambling in the USA?
You’ll need to be at least 21 years of age to partake in legal and regulated online casino gambling, or via a mobile app, in the USA.
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