Since 2018 and the Supreme Court’s historic decision on sports betting, the question of when and what to legalize has been high on the agenda of state lawmakers. Some were quick off the mark to fully legalize mobile sports betting and online casino gaming, whereas others were keen to dismiss it out of hand.
After eight years, we can answer the question of where online gambling is legal today, but it is a little bit more difficult to guess where it will be legal, say, ten years from now. Online casino gaming, in particular, seems like a harder sell to get signed into law. Indeed, we might even say that there is a bit of stalling of momentum.
Eight states now have legal casino gaming online
Right now, we wouldn’t expect any new states to join the eight – Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, West Virginia, Delaware, Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut – that have legalized online casino gaming anytime soon. Note that Maine is the latest addition to the eight, but platforms are not yet operational at the time of writing.
Nevertheless, you probably won’t see much movement in the coming months as the midterms and gubernatorial elections approach in the late fall, so we will likely enter 2027 with the same status quo. Some states have made progress, however, particularly Virginia, so you may see the Old Dominion become the ninth, possibly in 2027 or 2028.
Aside from that, it’s difficult to say. New York, Illinois, Ohio and Maryland are often cited as possibilities, but there is massive opposition in those states, too. Indeed, if you look at the history of failed iGaming bills in New York and Illinois, you can easily see that agreement looks unlikely.
New governors may change the impetus
Of course, with the looming elections, new lawmakers and occupants in governors’ mansions may shift momentum in a new direction. There are compelling arguments being made by proponents, including massive tax revenues to boost state budgets and moving people away from illegal offshore platforms. But in some states, the opposition voices are just as strong, perhaps more so.
For stakeholders, the best chances probably lie with states that have allowed online sports betting. For example, Missouri launched sports betting in December 2025, and while that does not mean casino gaming will definitely follow, it provides a blueprint for the state to follow. If the tax take also starts to rack up, it provides an additional incentive for lawmakers.
One area where the argument can feel most compelling is the fact that many people are undeterred by casino gambling laws, choosing to play at offshore platforms, using VPNs and similar approaches to access them. This leads to billions in potential lost revenues for licensed US operators, and it puts risks on those players playing at unvetted and unlicensed platforms.
It is certainly the case that lawmakers in some states won’t be persuaded by a “they are going to play illegally anyway” argument – we can’t see states like Utah or Alabama changing their firm stance anytime soon, but some might see the sense. For now, though, it feels like there is a bit of an impasse, and it may take a changing of the guard in lawmakers before we see the momentum change.
