Online gambling has become a multi-billion industry in the United States, with online slot games at its core. While online sports betting has quickly become legal in upwards of 30-plus states, the legalization of online casino play has been much slower. This article will sift through all 50 states to determine whether or not they are home to legal real money online casinos, and if so, what type of online casino is available.
The first thing that needs to be addressed is how many states have enacted laws on online gambling. While some states have a general ban on it, others have specific laws on what types of gambling can take place online. For instance, New York state law prohibits the operation of online slots but allows for online lottery and horse racing. Other states have different legal gambling ages, with some of them having it set at age 21, while others allow people to gamble at casinos or racetracks at the age of 18.
Nevada was the first state to legalize both online poker and online casino games, followed by New Jersey and Delaware. The rest of the country has been slow to catch up, and as of now, only seven states have iGaming options for their residents. However, a few other states have legislation on the table and may soon allow their citizens to wager real money at licensed online casinos.
One such state is Pennsylvania, which enacted its own version of online casino gambling on Oct. 30, 2017. Gov. Tom Wolf signed the bill, which will allow players to deposit and withdraw funds at legally licensed and regulated Pennsylvania online casinos. In addition to Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts, and New Jersey also have online casinos for their citizens to enjoy.
Another state that is considering online casino gambling is Rhode Island, with lawmakers working on a bill that will allow for the launch of iGaming in 2024. The Ocean State is looking to model its online casino market after neighboring states that have already launched iGaming markets.
A number of other states have made attempts to pass legislation on online casino gambling, but none of them have passed it yet. For example, Arkansas legalized sports betting in early 2022, but left out online casino play when they finalized the bill. Residents of the state can still access a number of tribal casinos to gamble at. Similarly, Maine was a longtime proponent of banning online casino gambling, and though some efforts have been made to change this, the state still doesn’t offer iGaming for its residents.