Will New York’s Success Encourage Other States To Legalize Gambling?
While gambling itself has been legal across the majority of the USA for many years, online casino gambling and sports betting have not. With the increase in digital spending, the gambling world has moved online, and it is time for state regulations to move with it.
New York was the 18th state to legalize sports betting, and they did so with raging success, beating several national records. In the first month, over $2.4 billion was placed in bets in the state, resulting in a whopping $80 million in tax revenue. With statistics like these, it is likely that other states will soon be following suit.
The financial success of New York’s legalization of sports betting will have a big impact on the state’s ability to support its youth, as the funds generated from gambling will be put towards education funding.
With almost a quarter of the nation’s bets on the Super Bowl coming out of New York, the state has overtaken the country’s casino capital, Nevada, to become the largest sports betting market in the country. This is despite all the challenges the industry has faced in recent years, showing that there is still a place for sports betting, especially with the introduction of mobile betting apps.
The success of legalizing sports betting in New York has inspired other states to follow suit, and it is now legal in 34 states. Massachusetts legalized retail sports betting in 2021, and online sports betting in 2023. Arkansas legalized online sports betting in February 2022, and Maryland followed suit in November of the same year.
Florida has also entered the ring, following several delays. After being legal for just two weeks, online casino use was put on pause for 2 years due to a court case made by West Flagler. The case was fighting the state’s decision to give full control of the online betting industry over to the Seminoles and was concluded this year, making betting legal again as of June 2023.
Others larger states, such as Texas and California, are still waiting to legalize online and in-person sports betting and online casino gaming. In both states, the only real options are gaming at a tribal casino, or betting on horses at the racetrack. The Texan state senate blocked an attempt to legalize sports betting in the state in 2023. However, there are still other ways for Texans to gamble online, by placing their bets or gaming in offshore online casinos where the Texan regulations don’t apply. So, Texans can enjoy a range of online casino games from the comfort of home, as seen on a list for Texan users on sportslens.com. The legalization of sports betting in Texas won’t be brought up again until the 2024 ballot or 2025 legislature, so it’s not going to follow in New York’s footsteps this year.
Similarly, despite having some of the best pro athletes in the country, and one of the largest fan bases for sports in the nation, California is yet to legalize sports betting. The Native tribes as well as several other lobby groups in California are opposed to the legalization of online betting in the state and have blocked it at polls. While it is unlikely that legalization will happen soon, there is hope that it will get the green light sometime in 2024 following the success stories of states like New York.