Where are Online Casinos Legal in the USA?
The United States of America have had a very difficult relationship with gambling. Since the inception of the American state in 1776, there have been huge stretches of time when gambling was seen as completely normal and legal. And there have also been huge stretches of time when the industry was considered immoral, and the practice completely banned. Today, gambling is largely legal, however, only in certain, licensed, establishments.
Recently, however, this law has been challenged. How, may you ask? The answer is quite simple. The rise of online gambling websites has made it possible for low and high-stake players alike to spin, play poker, and bet on sports from the comfort of their own home. The legality of online gambling is disputed in the USA. Online betting tends to be legal in most states, however, currently online gambling and online poker are only legal in a handful of States.
Where can you Participate in All Three?
The three main forms of online gambling are online betting, online poker, and online casinos. So, the question is, which states have made all three legal? It is easy to remember, as there are only six states in the USA where all three forms of online gambling are legal. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Connecticut, West Virginia, and Delaware.
New Jersey boasts the biggest online casino industry in the United States, at least as of the writing of this article. The online gambling industry in New Jersey has an estimated worth exceeding $200 million. However, since 2018, Pennsylvania has made all three forms legal as well, meaning that gamblers in that state can now access the best Pennsylvania online casinos, completely legally and with no repercussions.
In 2019, West Virginia came out with the West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act, which was a giant push for the legalization of online gambling in the state.
Where is Online Betting Legal?
Unlike casinos and poker, online sports betting is a lot more widespread in the United States. Especially since 2020, when the online sports betting market in the USA saw a massive surge in popularity. Sports betting is legal in over half of the 51 states, and many of them are also considering legalizing casinos and poker online.
The most popular sports to bet on in the United States are the four major league sports. American football is, by far, the most popular. It is America’s most watched sport, and so it only makes sense that bets are placed on it more frequently than the rest. This isn’t to say that the remaining three aren’t popular. The baseball betting industry is quite large in the States, and the same is true for hockey and basketball. The last sport we’ll look at is horse racing. For a long time, horse racing was the most popular sport on the betting scene worldwide. Today, it remains in the top 3 most popular betting sports, behind only soccer.
The Future of Online Gambling
With the massive success of online casinos in the past few years, many punters and gamblers are wondering if any other states in the USA are likely to legalize gambling in the coming future. In this section of the article, we are going to talk about a few states that are most likely to make gambling online legal in the near future.
In Nevada, for example, online poker and online sports betting are both legal, however online casinos remain illegal. However, considering that two of the three major forms of online gambling are legal in the state, it wouldn’t come as a shock to anyone to find the third form legalized soon.
