Gambling in the USA
The legality of online casino apps in the USA
Both online sports betting and online casinos are racing toward legalization in all 50 states. While online betting for sports is currently in the lead, online casino gambling apps are making strides to catch up.
As of October 2023, you can legally gamble using online casino apps in these states: New Jersey, Michigan, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Nevada, West Virginia, Iowa, and Illinois. Also worth noting is that the new iGaming law will become effective on March 1, 2024, when Rhode Island will join the list, and many others are expecting to follow in years to come.
From the list, Delaware was the first to lead the charge on legalizing online casinos in 2012, when its governor Jack Markell legalized wagering. The state-owned Delaware Lottery keeps a close eye on regulations for the state’s online casinos.
The Keystone State of Pennsylvania joined the fray and became the latest legal state for online casinos on Oct. 30, 2017. Its predecessors’ successes and revenue increases were one of the driving factors for legalization. From 2019 and onwards, Pennsylvania has been one of the largest iGaming markets in the country and allows residents to bet on a number of casino apps, including many of Techopedia reviewers’ highest-rated picks. The state’s gaming revenue for July 2023 came to a huge $467 million, an increase of just under 9% from a year ago.
New Jersey started its online gambling legalization in 2013, and the hot topic of debate is its mandate ending next month, in November 2023. Currently, it’s expected for the legislature to be extended. The Garden State’s thirty or more online casino operators offer enticing bonuses to stay competitive, and it’s expected that they will all probably continue to operate well past the November 2023 mark.
West Virginia and Michigan are among the newest candidates, where both aimed to legalize online gambling by 2019. Even though West Virginia was one of the first states to legalize online sports betting, it currently has just four online casinos. But more are expected to come soon, following the success of online gambling legalization. The state saw over $320 million in online wagers in July 2023.
The Great Lakes State of Michigan tried to follow in West Virginia’s steps, but its predicted official online casino launch in 2020 got pushed back to January 2023. But that did not stop the Michigan iGaming market, as it now has ten fully functional online casinos operating and awaiting new players. As of August 2023, online gambling revenue from both sports betting and casinos had grown over 13% compared to the same month the previous year. The total sum was an impressive $175.4 million.
Lastly, a bright future for online casinos in the USA, as Rhode Island will join the wave of changes soon. One twist the Ocean State is putting out is the requirements for all online table games to have a live dealer, by law. So you’ll get to play blackjack from your mobile phone with a live dealer stream rather than against a random number generator if you live in Rhode Island.