The status of legal gambling in the United States

The United States has almost always been a troubled country when it comes to legal gambling. Not long ago, it was almost impossible to legally access the best online casino bonuses: most bettors preferred offshore operators for this reason. But this is slowly changing, and more and more states are legalizing gambling.

“The tax revenue from legal gambling is also of interest to other states,” says Casino Bonuses Finder product owner Tony Sloterman. “For that reason alone, we may see laws change in almost all of the states before the end of 2023.” But first, let’s take a look at the current situation: As we approach the end of 2022, which US states have legalized gambling, and which are planning to do so?

The scope of legal gambling is different in each state

First, we need to state that legal gambling does not mean the same thing in every state. In general, we can divide this sector into two, “online” and “offline”. Each of these categories is also divided into two in itself: casino games and sports betting. Some states legalize only the offline (physical) form of gambling and restrict this to sports betting, for example. So, you can’t find an online bookmaker in these states, but you can go to a betting booth.

Land casinos and bookmakers are legal in some states, but no form of online gambling is allowed. Others have made all forms of gambling legal, without distinguishing between online and offline. The most important thing to know here is this: due to federal regulations, each state’s laws only affect the residents of that state. For example, New Jersey has legalized online casinos, but only NJ residents can sign up for them. Your geographic location is checked by both your IP address and SSN. You cannot register on an NJ casino site, for example, from California. Therefore, the legal gambling options you can access differ depending on the state you live in.

States that have legalized all forms of gambling

In these states, both online and offline gambling is legal. In almost all of them, the right to offer online gambling services has been given to terrestrial casinos, so only casino owners can open an online website. However, they can cooperate with third parties to arrange the services on this site. The online casinos of the MGM Resorts and Borgata brands, for example, are managed by a European-based company, Entain. In practice, this means that if you live in one of these states, you can play at online casinos and bookmakers and visit the physical versions of both too.

• New Jersey
• Delaware 
• Michigan 
• West Virginia 
• Pennsylvania
• Connecticut

States that only legalized sports betting

You will not find online casino sites in these states – they are not allowed. However, after the PASPA decision in 2018, many states have chosen to legalize both online and offline versions of sports betting. If you live in one of these states, you can take advantage of all forms of sports betting. 

• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Louisiana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New York
• Ohio
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Tennessee
• Wyoming
• Kansas

States that only allow physical sports betting

All forms of online gambling are prohibited in these states, but sports betting is allowed through betting booths. In other words, you can still try your luck in-person. Most of these states are expected to legalize online gambling in a short time.

• Delaware
• Maryland
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• South Dakota
• Maine