Online gambling has rapidly spread throughout the US. Now allowed in 48 states – including sports betting and casino games – online gambling is increasingly prevalent; yet not all states provide equal services or follow equal regulations regarding such activity – while some even prohibit certain forms of betting altogether.
In some states, bettors will be able to place real money wagers on all sorts of events from the Super Bowl to the Kentucky Derby; in others they’ll only be allowed to place bets on sports teams and players.
Even with its growing popularity, some may remain wary about online gambling’s legality. Laws against theft or cheating could potentially come into play if real money were involved; but don’t worry; as long as you play at legal websites you can rest easy knowing your bet will go through without issue.
Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware were the pioneers in legal online casinos and poker sites following the Supreme Court’s overturn of federal prohibitions for this activity. Soon thereafter Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia and Mississippi followed suit with legal online gambling offerings.
New Hampshire and Vermont are now making it legal to bet on sports games, becoming the 27th state to legalise it with Governor John Sununu placing his inaugural bet for Super Bowl LIV on New England Patriots to win in New Hampshire; Vermont followed shortly afterwards when its Green Mountain State launched online sports gambling with DraftKings as its sole operator; BetMGM and WynnBet also operate retail sportsbooks in Vermont – although in-state college teams cannot yet be bet upon.
Massachusetts passed legislation legalizing online sports gambling last year, making in-person wagers available at its casinos and two racetracks. Online sportsbooks should become active by March 10 – in time for the NCAA tournament!
Ohio, Louisiana and Michigan are also set to launch online gambling by 2022; Michigan already leads in total sports gambling handle, surpassing its land-based casino market in total sports gambling handle.
Oklahoma and Arkansas recently passed laws legalizing online gambling, while in New Mexico Native American tribes began running sports betting since October 2018 under their gaming compacts with the state.
At present, the District of Columbia has yet to launch an online sportsbook, although plans are underway using software from Intralot – a Greek company with connections to City Hall. GambetDC was plagued with security and fairness concerns – the city will work with Intralot in developing an system which is secure, transparent and impartial.
Excellent write-up