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It’s Now Legal for Online Gambling in NJ. Which States are Next?

Going back to the late 1990s, Bob Goodlatte and Jon Kyl introduced bills to the Senate to minimize online gambling. They wanted online gambling to be restricted to horse and dog racing plus state lotteries. The bill never passed.  Since then, legislation has been put in place to allow each state to choose its own laws in terms of online gambling.

New Jersey

In 2010, New Jersey was the first state to pass a bill legalizing certain forms of online gambling. It allowed online companies to offer NJ residents poker games, casino games, and slots. In 2013, New Jersey’s online gambling law came into action, and this allowed casinos based in Atlantic City to apply for a license to operate online. It came as no surprise to find the majority of casinos in New Jersey applying for this license. NJ is home to the largest number of online casinos currently operating in the United States.

New Jersey has also been leading the way in terms of online sports betting. The state argued strongly in the Supreme Court to allow online sports betting.  The total of online sports betting websites In New Jersey has since hit double figures. Now it is legal to gamble online in NJ, which states are next?

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Pennsylvania

The number of US online casinos has increased dramatically in recent years as several states have passed laws to allow online gambling. Pennsylvania followed closely in the footsteps of New Jersey, and they now accept all forms of online betting. That includes casinos, poker, and sportsbooks. 2019 was a busy year in terms of online gambling in Pennsylvania, as all three of the different forms of online gambling were legalized in the state.

Delaware

Nevada has long held a grip on the online sports betting market in the United States.  They have operated online sportsbooks since 2010. Outside of Nevada, the state of Delaware was the first to introduce online sports betting.  They also led the way with their online casinos and poker rooms. When the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 was overturned in May 2018, Delaware moved extremely quickly to launch its sports betting websites in June of the same year. 

Will West Virginia be next?

West Virginia has also been active in the legalization of online gambling in the United States. Online sports betting was launched in December 2018. The West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act brought about the possibility of online casinos and poker rooms in 2020. At the time of writing (July 2020), we expect to see the launch of several online casinos and poker sites in West Virginia. Some of the land-based casinos that could be involved in the introduction of online casinos games in West Virginia include Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort, Mardi Gras Casino and Resort, Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack and The Greenbrier Casino Club.

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More to come

Looking further into the future and five states, in particular, could soon be launching online gambling services. Kentucky, Ohio, Connecticut, Missouri, and Maryland could all be next to legalize gambling in the United States. North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia are also believed to be close to allowing online gambling. 

As the legislation needs to be passed within each individual state, the process can be very time-consuming. Just ask those involved in Ohio. They have spent a great deal of time constructing a bill. There have been two different bills to date. It can be very confusing. However, as more states begin to legalize online gambling in the United States, others are sure to follow. It will be interesting to see how many states offer some form of legal online gambling by the end of 2022.

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