States That Could Be The Next To Legalize Online Casino

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Sports betting has caught on like wildfire across the United States with two-thirds of states have legalized the activity, and half of the country taking it even further by legalizing mobile sports betting. However, the same states seemed to be firmly against allowing citizens to place bets in other areas, such as popular forms of online poker and US online casino gambling.

But there is hope for change in 2023. Various frontrunners have sworn to investigate what it would take for online poker and casino games to be accepted in their states, potentially providing U.S. citizens with a more varied choice of gaming opportunities than before. It will be interesting to watch how this issue plays out over the coming months and years!

Online Casino Is Legal In Just Six States

With the advent of technology, gambling has moved largely away from traditional brick and mortar casinos to the convenience of playing online. While gambling is legal in many states, online casino remains severely restricted. Only six states – Delaware, Nevada, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Michigan – have legalized online casino sites.

This means that citizens from other states still don’t have access to these convenient sites and are limited in what gambling forms they can access. It will be interesting to see if there is an expansion of internet gaming laws in the future or if the US continues to be stricter about regulating it than other countries.

Candidates To Legalize Online Casino Gambling In 2023

  • Indiana – Indiana seems like the perfect candidate for legalizing online casino gambling in 2023. With a fresh batch of legislators coming into office after the 2022 election, the effort to push this legislation will be well-supported and provide an opportunity for Sen. John Ford to make an impact in his home state. Ford, who is now the President of the National Council of Legislators from Gambling States (NCLGS), has made it no secret that he considers online gambling as a policy priority. However, despite his enthusiasm and optimism for achieving this goal, challenges remain such as Indiana’s short legislative session which runs from January until late April.
  • New York – New York has been at the forefront of the debate over online poker legalization, with bills having navigated their way through the state senate multiple times. However, any material gains have been stymied by a lack of Assembly approval. It appears that this impasse may be coming close to an end, as both online poker and its more expansive parent, online casinos, now look set for legal status in New York. Senator Joseph Addabbo is confident that strong support from within his chamber will lead to a breakthrough on this front – yet only time will tell if the legislators in the Assembly display similar assurance.
  • Iowa – Iowa may not come to mind when considering open-mindedness regarding gambling, but it has nonetheless been at the forefront of the gaming industry in recent years. Surprisingly, Iowa was among the first states to legalize online poker in the aughts. In addition, sports betting was adopted and launched with minimal discussion, and since then it has been an incredibly strong market for mobile betting. If Iowans can manage to get enough support for regulated online casino gambling and poker across its scattered casinos, it could improve access to this activity tremendously – although it will be a struggle. Therefore, 2023 appears as a promising start for what could end up being a long campaign ultimately leading to legalized online gaming in Iowa.
  • Mississippi – Mississippi is already part of the conversation around expanding sports betting, but to make it reality, they’d have to take a big step away from their current stance on gambling–or come up with a novel legal framework. Mississippi currently only allows riverboat casinos, confining gambling to areas approved for their presence, and within 800 feet of water. Expanding that by allowing mobile sports betting or legalizing online poker or casino games would require an adjustment in the law, which could present its own legal challenges. Alternatively, if Mississippi were to try and keep their current laws in place by claiming all gambling occurs at the server (which could be close enough to water), that would also face attention from the courts. It remains seen how Mississippi will eventually handle this situation.
  • Kentucky – Kentucky could be on the brink of legalizing online sports betting and poker through legislative bills come 2023, yet casino gaming is not included in its agenda. In order for Kentucky to become a prominent state that rivals Indiana’s level of gambling acceptance, there are numerous obstacles they must maneuver around first. If successful, it will open up a world of new possibilities which may prove beneficial in more ways than one!
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