Gambling Industry in the USA: Past and Present

The gambling industry in the USA can be quite confusing for outsiders but it is one of the most lucrative business. After all, Las Vegas is the land of gambling venues and lifestyle. However, the USA online gambling landscape has seen drastic changes over the years. And below, we explore what those changes are and how the online gambling industry is looking today.

Online Gambling Industry in the USA

The legislation for online gambling was drafted in the late 1990s in the USA but never passed. It was not until the mid-2000s that the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 was passed. This act hugely prohibited financial firms from dealing with gambling websites. However, in 2010, New Jersey passed bill S490 and became the first USA state to officially legalize online poker, casino games and slots.

What’s exactly legal in the USA?

According to an article in Business Matters, online gambling in the United States is split into several categories. The different categories are sports betting, casino gaming, poker and fantasy sports. And each of these categories are legal in different states of the country. For instance, online sports betting is widely legal by USA states. On the other hand, online casino gambling is only legal in some states, such as:

• California
• Delaware
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Michigan
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• West Virginia

Online poker is also accepted but in fewer states while daily fantasy sports is legal across the country.

But what’s changing?

The landscape for online gambling in the United States is changing. Many USA states have legalized various forms of online gambling and others are pondering about it. For instance, Arizona recently allowed online sports betting and more states are going to follow the same.

However, we should also be realistic that even if online gambling will be made legal in more states, the laws governing them will be stricter. But the online gambling industry is gaining momentum and it is unavoidable. Plus there are some amazing future trends that players can look forward to for online casinos in the USA.