It seems hard to believe but gambling in the USA hasn’t been one of the easiest experiences. There have been plenty of laws passed that have made gambling illegal. It’s been ok to gamble in casinos and on racetracks but trying to place a bet on the next NFL or NBA match has been a difficult task. Now the landscape has changed, and a growing number of states are passing laws that make it legal to gamble.
So, what happened to change all the gambling landscape? The state of New Jersey has spent several years trying to change a law passed by Congress that gave them the authority to decide whether or not to legalise gambling. Time was spent in the courts and last year the Supreme Court ruled that it was to be up to the individual states over whether or not to legalise gambling.
The landmark ruling has changed everything and states across the USA were quick to start working on the necessary legislation. It wasn’t down to a love of gambling but the desire to be receiving huge amounts in taxation from gambling.
Perhaps surprisingly it wasn’t New Jersey who were the first to get their gambling laws passed. It was Delaware who pipped them to the post by nine days. Their state governor Phil Murphy placed the first bets, but both proved to be losers.
Sportsbooks were being opened by local casinos including one at the Monmouth Park Casino in New Jersey run by British bookmakers William Hill. American gamblers were used to having to use sportsbook run by companies from another country. They had to access offshore bookmakers to be able to place their bets, something they still do.
The largest market for regulated online gambling is in New Jersey. There are over a dozen legal and licensed casinos that can be played online. It’s a market that is worth over $225m a year and it is an increasingly highly competitive one too. This can be good news for the gamblers as these new online casinos give attractive welcome offers to attract the new customers.
It’s changing now though and Indiana, Arkansas. Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Montana, Mississippi, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, West Virginia and Tennessee ae among those to legalise sports betting. They have been enjoying the tax revenue while the gamblers love betting on a wide range of sports.
The lure of all that additional tax revenue and the income received from granting licenses is likely to see further states legalise gambling. Over the years, the major sports in the country such as American Football, Baseball and Basketball haven’t always been too supportive of legalising gambling.
They feared it would affect the integrity of their sports. Now they are becoming a bit more appreciative of gambling and starting to sign up partnerships with casinos bringing in more revenue. Gambling is booming in the USA and isn’t likely to slow down anytime soon.
