Net Gambling Legislation Considered by 10 US States

2013 was a big year for Internet gambling in the US. Three states went live with regulated intrastate gambling, two of them (Delaware & New Jersey) allowing online casino games in addition to poker.

According to i-Gaming consultancy Gambling Compliance, 10 US states considered Internet Gambling legislation during 2013. They say that at least as many will do so during 2014.

The group’s North American research director Chris Krafcik was quoted by CBS as saying:

“In 2013, 10 states considered legislation that would legalize online casino-style gambling, which was a historic high…This year is shaping up to be at least as busy.”

States looking to potentially follow Delaware and New Jersey in 2014 include Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and heavyweight California.

Additionally, it is considered likely that New Jersey and Delaware will be seeking to expand current regulations by doing cross border deals with other states. Something like, ‘we’ve already done the groundwork, have the regulations/regulators and licensed/operating casinos, if you let players from your state play we’ll pass on a clip of the ticket’. From an administrative point of view this certainly makes a lot of sense.

As for the likelihood of the ultimate cross border arrangement…nation wide enabling legislation and regulation? Unlikely say Gambling Compliance. Still a bit of a hot potato, especially in a mid term election year, and there’s still a lot of opposition in the Senate where there’s a push from some quarters for a country-wide ban.  No doubt these quarters have considerable support from Sheldon Adelson.

Will we see US based live dealers in 2014? I’m going to take a punt and say yes with games streamed from tables inside some of Atlantic City casinos. Unfortunately very few of us will be allowed to play them.