I
t’s been an interesting year for online gambling in the United States. While it was slow going at the beginning of 2017, the action certainly picked up towards the end, culminating in two important events. The first was Pennsylvania’s decision to vote in a new gambling bill that was described as “one of the most aggressive expansions” seen in US, including the legalization and regulation of online gambling.
The second was the Supreme Court’s agreement to hear New Jersey’s appeal to allow the state to offer sports betting, and the start of a very high-profile hearing earlier this month. The results of the appeal will only be known next year, but it is certain that a positive outcome for New Jersey will have a snowball effect on the overall gambling industry in the US.
Looking ahead into 2018, analysts have pinpointed the three states most likely to get their own online gambling industries.
They predict:
- New York
- Michigan
- New Hampshire
New York
The East Coast state of New York is very likely to introduce online gambling, understanding that it will have to head into that direction if it wants to keep up with the competition of neighboring states. Not everybody is happy with the idea, including New Jersey, whose successful Atlantic City gambling hub could be threatened by this competition. New York also wants to speed up the process of legalizing sports betting if the Supreme Court rules in New Jersey’s favor, and lawmakers are looking to introduce legislation to make this happen.
Michigan
Recently, a bill was proposed in Michigan, whereby the state would introduce a legalized and regulated online gambling landscape. Rep. Brandt Iden had his bill approved by the House Regulatory Reform Committee (which he also chairs). The bill calls for a tax rate of 10% on operators’ revenues, as well as the creation of a new Division of Internet Gambling – a clear indication of the direction in which Michigan is heading.
New Hampshire
The Granite State is an interesting name to come up as one of the three states most likely to introduce online gambling next year. New Hampshire is set to become the fifth state to bring its lottery sales online, and analysts believe that this co the springboard for the state to venture into online casino games if the Supreme Court votes in New Jersey’s favor.
