In May 2014, the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), thus allowing each state to regulate or prohibit the practice of gambling within its borders. Since then, almost all states and territories have decided to legalize gambling in one form or another. However, not all of them allow online gambling.
Keep on reading for a quick rundown of the states where placing bets on the internet is legal.
States that offer only online sports betting
There are certain states where the only form of online gambling is sports betting. These are Illinois, Tennessee, Indiana, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Montana, and Colorado as well as Washington, D.C. Some of the states launched not that long ago.
For instance, Tennessee’s sportsbooks debuted on November 1, 2020. Only BetMGM, FanDuel, and DraftKings are currently available but more options are probably coming in the near future. William Hill and PointsBet are some other options that are available in other places, although every state has a different offer. As of 2020, most of these states have no plans to introduce online casinos nor online poker.
States that offer online sports betting and online poker
Currently, the only state that offers both online sports betting and online poker is Nevada. This state was one of the few that was exempt from PASPA and enjoyed a monopoly on sports betting for almost two decades. In addition to physical bookmaker shops that have been around for a while, Nevada was also the first to launch online sports betting in 2010. Since then, they have also made online poker available in April of 2013 while there are no plans for introducing online casinos.
States that offer online sports betting, online poker, and online casino
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, Michigan, and New Jersey are the only states where online sports betting, online poker, and online casinos are legal.
However, Delaware is an odd example. While online sports betting is legal, there are no operators that offer such a service. The state is home to three land-based casinos but none of them have debuted an app for online betting yet, despite the fact that Delaware was the first to launch online sports betting after PASPA’s dismissal.
Michigan is very similar, in that all of these options are legalized but no online sportsbooks or casinos have launched as of yet.
Then, we have New Jersey. The Golden State is one of the largest markets in the US when it comes to regulated online gambling. Seeing as how Chris Christie, the then-governor of NJ, played a big role in challenging PASPA, it should come as no surprise. According to CasinoTopsOnline, New Jersey players can choose from almost two dozen online casinos. In addition to online gambling, NJ allows casino gambling, poker, horse racing betting, lottery, and charitable gambling so, except for tribal gambling, they have all their bases covered.
States that are looking to launch online gambling
Several states are looking to offer their residents the opportunity to place wagers online. For example, Virginia has passed all the necessary legislation, and sports betting is now legal and regulated. However, no sportsbooks have opened yet as the first ones are likely to show up in January 2021.
Then, we have New York. While various forms of gambling are legal in the state, such as sports betting, lotteries, charitable gambling, and horse racing betting, mobile and online gambling is still not a possibility. While residents are expecting this to happen in the near future, they are lucky enough to live near NJ where online gambling is very accessible.
States with no plans to allow Gambling Online in the US
Other states are more tentative when it comes to online gambling. For instance, in Mississippi, players can only play online while at a gambling facility. In Maryland, the vote on a sports betting referendum was a resounding yes, so the lawmakers are working on the relevant laws but whether online gambling will be permitted is unknown.
Right now, Hawaii and Utah are the only two states that completely outlaw all forms of gambling. Whether they will make any changes to the law or if any other state will expand their offer to include online gambling remains to be seen.
