Despite being beloved by everyone from MC Hooker to Kevin Hart, US-based iGaming opportunities have been scarce for the past half-decade or so. True, gaming fans have been able to play at offshore sites and platforms, and Nevada has been offering mobile sports betting longer than any state, but throughout the rest of the country, the landscape has been barren.
That was until spring last year when the U.S Supreme court reversed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992 to allow the state of New Jersey to regulate its own sports betting activities. Since then, the industry has grown considerably, and it’s now possible to play online poker and casino games and place bets on major sporting events like the Super Bowl across several states.
Let’s take a look at what’s available as we say goodbye to 2019.
Where to play
Altogether, iGaming has been fully legalized in 13 states, including Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Indiana with a further six to follow in 2020. At present, sports betting is legal in more states than activities like online poker and online slots and, even though licenses have been granted to individual states, they are yet to launch online platforms.
The following states have fully legalized sports betting:
- Nevada
- Delaware
- New Jersey
- Mississippi
- West Virginia
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Arkansas
- New York
- Iowa
- Indiana
And there are reputable online bookmakers currently operating within:
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
- Rhode Island
- Oregon
- Indiana
The sports betting market is a little different in the state of Nevada. Despite its historical connection with the practice, Nevada casinos are only allowed to create mobile apps for their sportsbooks, not standalone websites and platforms.
The following states have fully legalized online casinos (slots, video poker, blackjack, roulette etc):
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware
And online casinos and mobile apps are operating within all three states.
Poker fans will also be happy to know that there are now a number of online poker platforms that are operating within the US market. Following the record launch of Pennsylvania’s first online casino last month, online players no longer have to join offshore platforms and poker rooms to take part in high-level tournaments and casual games.
The following states have fully legalized online poker:
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Nevada
- Delaware
And online poker rooms are operating within all four states.
The new American gold rush
The success of the industry in such a short time could point towards iGaming being the next American gold rush. Pennsylvania, for example, only launched online sports betting in May 2019 (followed by online casinos in July and poker in November), but it has already pulled in considerable revenues and set new records – the first online poker platform to launch in the state was in use by thousands of players soon after launch.
The biggest indication of just how lucrative the iGaming industry is, however, was New Jersey’s revenue results. According to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, for October alone total iGaming revenues (sports betting, online casino and poker) came to an eye-watering $85.58 million.
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