There is a widespread myth that online gambling is banned in most of America but with the remarkable growth of online casinos, there have been significant changes brought in the country to legalize online gambling. In this article, we will explore if online gambling is still banned in most of America and if not, what are the changes that brought this shift in the country.
History Of Online Gambling In America
Even though online gambling was prevalent in the early 200s, it was made legal in the United States of America only in 2013. Delaware was the first state in the country to legalize online gambling which allowed online casinos, betting, and poker. 6 years later, in 2019, Pennsylvania and Michigan legalized online casinos and sports betting which made a significant turning point in the legalization of online gambling in the country.
The law about allowing online gambling varied from state to state which some consider to be a wise decision whereas others are still quite adamant about legalizing it in their states. The legalization of online gambling happened in the country after the 2018 ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States that struck down a 1992 law banning online gambling and betting in the country.
Current Landscape Of Online Gambling In America
After the 2018 ruling struck down the banning of online gambling and betting in the country, many states were open to legalizing it. After 2018 and 2019, when Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Michigan embraced online gambling and made it legal, many states came to the forefront to remove the ban on online gambling. Over the last few years, many states have allowed online gambling. With the widening of the online gambling industry, more and more states are thinking about making it legal and it is expected that most states will remove the ban in the coming years.
States That Allow Online Gambling
Among the 50 states in the country, 48 of them legalize some sort of gambling, and the other two that completely ban it are Hawaii and Utah. Let us now take a look at the states that have legalized online casinos, sports betting, and online lottery.
States That Allow Online Casinos
Presently only 6 states in the country have legalized online casinos and they are the following:
- Delaware
- Michigan
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
States That Allow Sports Betting
The states in America are more open to sports betting than any other form of online gambling and 35 of the states in the country have legalized sports betting. These states are listed below:
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington DC
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
States That Allow Online Lottery
Lotteries are popular in the United States of America but there is still a long way to go before online lotteries become popular and legal. There are now only 8 states that allow online lottery and they are the ones given below:
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New Hampshire
- Pennsylvania
- Virginia
Future Of Online Gambling In The United States of America
As the online gambling industry is rapidly growing, the United States of America is becoming more and more open to legalizing it. At present, there are many states in the country that are in the process of legalizing online casinos, online lotteries, and sports betting. Most people expect that the country will legalize all forms of online gambling in almost every state in the coming years.
Concluding Thoughts
The United States of America is one of the top destinations for gamblers and has a city which is known as Disneyland for gamblers. However, when it comes to online gambling, the country isn’t very open to it. Nonetheless, things have been changing in the last few years as many states have now legalized online gambling and are in the process of accepting more forms of online gambling. So we can say that online gambling isn’t banned in America and you can expect it to be fully legalized in every 50 states in the country.
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