Online gambling legislation in the United States has been on the agenda for a long time and understandably, it attracted a lot of opponents and proponents. Last year made players, based in several states hopeful that they will get the chance to play their favorite games from the comfort of their homes.
Needless to say, the iGaming legislation has its advantages and disadvantages. Despite being regarded as innovative and caring for communities’ well-being, authorities of states such as Kentucky, Idaho, Indiana remain reluctant to use the sources of the untapped online gambling markets.
Yet, there are several states whose officials consider the online gambling legislation pros to outweigh the cons and the chances for making it legal within the areas they are in charge of are pretty high. Not to mention that the states willing to legalize the iGaming are given the chance to learn from their predecessors’ mistakes.
New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada have already enabled their residents to use online gambling options. Here is a brief description of the states that are about to take immediate actions towards iGaming legislation in the next couple of months.
Connecticut
It is a well-known fact that Connecticut gambling officials have taken the online gambling legislation wholeheartedly and it looks like they regard it as a potential source of considerable revenues.
What is more, Connecticut-based casinos are believed to pose a huge threat to the venues in the neighboring states. The current Governor Dannel Malloy is a proponent of the Internet gambling legislation as well. The tribal casinos on the territory of the state also support the legislation.
Illinois
Whenever one thinks about an attractive gambling destination in the United States, the state of Illinois inevitably comes to mind. The idea for diversifying the gambling sector by establishing more brick-and-mortar casinos as well as legalizing the online gambling has been a widely discussed topic for a pretty long time.
Senator Terry Link and Governor Pat Quinn are among the supporters of making the online gambling options available within the state. According to the estimates, more than $150 million could be generated via online gambling activities. What makes the gambling officials believe in the positive outcome from iGaming legislation is the fact that people are making bets anyway regardless of the current prohibition.
Maryland
Obviously, the states at the East Coast are more likely to pass gambling legislation bills and Maryland is among these as well. Maryland gambling officials have been discussing the legislation for two years now but the outcome is not determined yet. The utmost aim of the local regulators is generating decent revenues by keeping the Maryland-based players in the state and working in collaboration with neighboring states due to the same reason.
For the time being, it seems like Maryland officials are more willing to legalize the online purchase of lottery tickets rather than poker activities. Authorities are also determined to allow some time for the local gambling industry to become more stable before implementing any online gambling amendments.
California
California has been making the headlines recently basically because of its attempts to make online poker legal. One of the tribal casinos tried to violate the law that prohibits the online gambling activities but the platform they launched was quickly reported to the authorities. Nevertheless, California has already consolidated its positions on the gambling sector and the gambling expansion is likely to take place any moment.
Louisiana
Strange as it may seem, Louisiana officials are currently reviewing the online gambling legislation after taking back the firm position about the total prohibition of such kind of gaming options.
It has been almost one year since more considerable attempts for making the iGaming legal have been processed. Time will tell if Louisiana would legalize online gambling but according to people with knowledge on the matter, this will happen sooner than one may expect. Anyway, Louisiana authorities are not so stern towards the legislation, which can be regarded as a positive sign.
Massachusetts
Although Massachusetts has not its land-based casinos established yet, the first attempts for legalizing online gambling activities were made. Representatives of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission already announced that the state definitely needs to have its gambling sector expanded and diversified. Unfortunately, the last proposal was rejected but it does not mean that Massachusetts gambling officials have abandoned their plans.
New Hampshire
According to various surveys, the majority of New Hampshire residents support the online gambling legislation and the best of all is that key figures on the political scene are also believed to be among its proponents.
Needless to say, the legislation proposal has its opponents but it looks like New Hampshire needs to adopt an effective approach for dealing with the rivalry of the neighboring states and generating satisfactory gambling revenues. It seems there is no better alternative than facing the challenge of legalizing online gambling.
New York
Those who are aware of the latest events concerning the gambling industry in the state of New York would not be surprised to know that the current situation with the gaming sector on the East Coast made New York officials consider taking actions towards legalizing the iGaming opportunities.
According to a bill introduced a few months ago, the state could greatly benefit from the online gambling activities since residents are participating in them anyway and making them legal can be a source of reliable profits.
Pennsylvania
It would not be premature to say that Pennsylvania authorities are really passionate about expanding the online gambling segment by adding new exciting features and services. Several iGaming bills have already been proposed, which indicates that sooner or later Pennsylvania-based players will enjoy their favorite games in an online format.
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island is the next believed to transfer the excitement of the casino games into the virtual world. However, this is not likely to happen unless a statewide approval is obtained. Plus, the opponents are concerned that the expansion of the online gambling sector would have a severe effect on the revenues, generated in land-based casinos.
Yet, the fact that the idea for legislation is a subject to discussions is a sure sign that authorities are familiar with the tough competition of the neighboring states and the benefits the online gambling legislation would bring.
Colorado
Colorado is the last state which expressed interest in getting a piece of the iGaming pie but people with knowledge on the matter are not too hopeful that any significant actions towards legislation are to be taken in 2015. Although it will definitely take some time until the state of Colorado has its online gambling market developed and fully functional, the expectations are it will bring decent annual profits.
