Gambling has been a popular activity in the United States for centuries. It has also been suppressed by law in many areas for almost as long. By the early 20th century, gambling was almost uniformly outlawed throughout the U.S. And thus became a largely illegal activity, helping to spur the growth of the mafia and other criminal organizations.
The decision to legalize betting on college and professional sports is back in the hands of individual states after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 25-year-old law that prohibited the practice Monday.
The ruling quashed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) and cleared the way for states to expand legalized gambling as a valid source of government revenue.
Previously, Nevada had been the only state where betting on individual games was legal. Now, every state can decide whether to allow it.
That doesn't mean Arizona will immediately follow suit, though.
The Arizona Department of Gaming said in a statement Monday all sports betting will remain illegal until further action is taken at the state level.
A spokesperson described the decision as 'business as usual' for Arizona.
In a tweet Monday, Gov. Doug Ducey hinted at a possible push to legalize sports gambling as part of the Arizona Tribal-State Gaming Compact — the state's agreement that governs betting on Native American lands.
'This ruling gives Arizona options that could benefit our citizens and our general fund,' he wrote.
Attorney General Mark Brnovich also cheered the decision. Brnovich, a former director of the state Department of Gaming, filed an amicus briefing with the court, arguing the ban violated states' rights.
'The court today really affirmed our position,' he said Monday morning.
Brnovich said Arizona law generally bans gambling, with exceptions for things like the lottery, horse racing and compacts with tribes. Social gambling between friends is legal, but betting organized by a third party that takes a cut of the money is not.
He said Arizona won't see any immediate changes after the ruling because it's now up to the state Legislature to decide whether to legalize sports betting.
If the Legislature were to vote to adopt sports gambling, the tribal compacts would then need to be re-negotiated before any changes could go into effect.
Voters approved the compact between the state and the 21 different tribes operating casinos and other gaming enterprises on tribal lands in 2002. The compact allows the state to regulate Class III, or Las Vegas-style, gaming. It limits the types and number of games allowed at casinos and requires the tribes to contribute 1 to 8 percent of gaming revenue to state and local governments.
The tribes have contributed approximately $1 billion in revenue to the state so far.
However, Brnovich said, anyone assuming that sports betting could bring a financial windfall to help fund education in Arizona is incorrect.
He noted that sports books in Nevada typically only generate about $1.3 million in total income each year, according to the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
“It’s not like this is super lucrative,' Brnovich said.
Yet Vince Francia, general manager of Turf Paradise, said it could provide a much-needed source of money for the state. He estimated the revenues could bring in millions of dollars annually.
The Phoenix racetrack allows visitors to bet on races, which is the only type of sports gambling currently legal in Arizona.
Francia acknowledged that college and professional sports are still being bet on unofficially both online and in-person, even though it is illegal. Because of this, there are no protections if someone doesn't pay out. Legalizing sports gambling would also make any betting safer for participants.
'There's really no negatives to this,' Francia said.
Brnovich said if policy makers decide to legalize sports gambling, a benefit could be more protection for players. He said state regulation of gaming makes it easier to detect schemes.
The attorney general said online gambling is already widespread due to sports fantasy leagues run by third parties, which, he said, are illegal under Arizona law.
“There’s a lot of gambling on sports going on,' he said. “The question is what do the states want to do as far as their involvement?'
READ MORE:
- Supreme Court strikes down ban on sports betting in victory for New Jersey
- Supreme Court decision on sports gambling might force NCAA to accept Las Vegas
- Opinion: Don't bet on sports gambling to fund Arizona teachers, schools
We've compiled this legal online betting guide for US players arranged by state, to provide accurate and up to date information on the legal online gambling status and gaming options available within each US state. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive state gambling directory which will empower players with the information to make informed decisions about online gambling.
This state-specific data will include a look at the state laws governing online gambling opportunities from online casinos, online poker, to online sports betting.
Each individual state is approaching the legalization of online gambling differently, thus it is necessary to detail lawfully available state-licensed options, and sanctioned licensed offshore online gambling opportunities. We also address some of the most commonly asked questions about gambling in each state and provide some helpful resources for players to access. This information can only be covered in depth within each of the state pages we offer, which you can find listed within this guide.
Is Online Gambling Legal In My State?
To avoid confusion, we have marked US states which offer state-regulated gambling options in the table below with a check mark. At this moment in time, eight US states have legalized and regulated online gambling in some form. For example:
Why Is Gambling Illegal In Georgia
Online Poker & Casinos:
- Delaware - Online Poker and Online Casino gambling
- Nevada - Online Poker
- New Jersey - Online Poker, Online Casinos
- Pennsylvania - Online Poker, Online Casinos
- West Virginia - Online Poker, Online Casinos
Online Sports Betting & Fantasy Sports
- Illinois - Legalized Online Sports Betting**
- Indiana - Offers Online Sports Betting
- Iowa - Offers Online Sports Betting
- Massachusetts - Fantasy Sports Allowed
- Mississippi - Online Allowed At Casinos Only
- Montana - Legalized Online Sports Betting**
- Nevada - Online Sportsbooks State-wide
- New Jersey - Online Sportsbooks State-wide
- New York - Allows Fantasy Sports And Domestic Sports Betting
- Oregon - Offers Online Sports Betting
- Pennsylvania - Offers Online and Domestic Sports Betting
- Rhode Island - Offers Online and Domestic Sports Betting
- Tennessee - Legalized Online Sports Betting**
- West Virginia - Online Sports Betting Allowed State-wide
** Legalized but Pending launch
Why Is Gambling Illegal In Thailand
Online Lottery:
- Georgia - Online Lottery Allowed
- Illinois - Online Lottery Allowed
- Kentucky - Online Lottery Allowed
- Michigan - Online Lottery Allowed
- Minnesota - Online Lottery Allowed
- New Hampshire - Online Lottery Allowed
- Pennsylvania - Online Lottery Allowed
Is Licensed Offshore Gambling Legal In My State?
While the above-mentioned states offer regulated online gambling, they still maintain the option to utilize licensed offshore online options. Nearly all US state residents, except those from Washington or Connecticut, can legally access licensed offshore online gambling platforms to play online casino games, poker, or bet on sports.
This is because no state laws in these other 48 states specifically prohibit or allow it - thus operating in a technical grey area, it is still considered safe to use because it is not likely these states will draft and pass legislation to specifically affect domestic access to licensed offshore gaming.
What Is The Minimum Online Gambling Age in the US?
There is no one minimum gambling age in the US as this is set and regulated by each individual state. The minimum gambling age within each state is affected by various factors such as game selected and licensor. By this, we mean state-regulated online gambling options require domestic players, whether residents or visitors, to abide by the state's minimum gambling age for that form of gambling on land within the state's borders.
However, licensed offshore online platforms which offer casino games, poker, and sports betting can lawfully accept players who are at least 18 years of age or older. These licensed offshore online sites also offer players much more in the way of bonuses and perks and the platforms we recommend are all extremely reputable.
U.S. States Where You Can Legally Gamble At 18 And Up
Below you can learn more about the minimum legal online gambling age by state in the USA.
| AL Offshore Yes:18 | IL Offshore Yes:18 | NE Offshore Yes:18 | SD Offshore Yes:18 |
| AK Offshore Yes:18 | IN Offshore Yes:18 | NV Offshore Yes:18 | SC Offshore Yes:18 |
| AZ Offshore Yes:18 | KS Offshore Yes:18 | NH Offshore Yes:18 | TN Offshore Yes:18 |
| AR Offshore Yes:18 | KY Offshore Yes:18 | NJ Offshore No | TX Offshore Yes:18 |
| CA Offshore Yes:18 | LA Offshore Yes:18 | NM Offshore Yes:18 | UT Offshore Yes:18 |
| CO Offshore Yes:18 | ME Offshore Yes:18 | NY Offshore Yes:18 | VT Offshore Yes:18 |
| CT Offshore No | MD Offshore Yes:18 | ND Offshore Yes:18 | VA Offshore Yes:18 |
| DE Offshore Yes:18 | MA Offshore Yes:18 | NC Offshore Yes:18 | WA Offshore No |
| FL Offshore Yes:18 | MI Offshore Yes:18 | OH Offshore Yes:18 | WV Offshore Yes:18 |
| GA Offshore Yes:18 | MN Offshore Yes:18 | OK Offshore Yes:18 | WI Offshore Yes:18 |
| HI Offshore Yes:18 | MS Offshore Yes:18 | OR Offshore Yes:18 | WY Offshore Yes:18 |
| ID Offshore Yes:18 | MO Offshore Yes:18 | PA Offshore Yes:18 | |
| IA Offshore Yes:18 | MT Offshore Yes:18 | RI Offshore Yes:18 |
Online Gambling Laws in The United States
Gambling laws can be a rather complex topic these days as there are several US federal gambling laws to account for such as the UIGEA, and the Federal Wire Act, as well as, several individual state gambling laws. The reason for this is because the United States DOJ has said that states have the authority to determine their own destiny concerning both land-based and online gambling.
Afterward, several states moved forward with legalizing some forms of online gambling for their region. Multiple other states are currently in discussions amongst themselves regarding the possibility of embracing this virtual gaming platform in their own territories. As discussed earlier and from what can be read from our laws page, US players outside of WA and CT are permitted access to multiple licensed, certified, and regulated online gambling sites hosted outside of the United States. This is a nice alternative for those players not located in a state with its own regulated form of domestic online gambling.