As the calendar turns to 2023 and state lawmakers return to their legislative sessions, will any further states legalise online casino? By Buck Wargo As the calendar turns to 2023 and state lawmakers return to their legislative sessions, proponents of igaming will be making a push to expand it well beyond the six states where it’s currently legal.
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Connecticut, Delaware and West Virginia lead the way for the US igaming market, but it’s been slow to expand. States have been flush with cash from the federal government, while lawmakers fear cannibalisation of land-based casinos will cost jobs and that more accessible gaming will cause greater addiction.
Expansion of igaming in 2023 was a focus at the recent conference of the National Council of Legislators From Gaming States.
The forecast is that igaming expansion legislation will be considered in 2023 in New York, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. Nevada allows online poker only, and opposition from casinos that cater to local residents has prevented full-fledged igaming from consideration. Zero to a billion
Legislation, however, is possible in Maryland, Ohio, Colorado, Louisiana and Kansas, according to Howard Glaser, head of government affairs for Light & Wonder.
Glaser lamented that igaming hasn’t spread as quickly as supporters hoped.
“That hasn’t happened despite the fact that igaming is the single-most successful launch of a casino product in the history of the United States, if not on the globe,” Glaser said. “We have extremely successful igaming in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan, and these each went from zero to billion-dollar markets in a very short time.”
Michael Pollock, managing director of the Spectrum Gaming Group, a consultant, said the gaming industry has come a long way since igaming was broached two decades ago and that it’s now on the precipice of the growth that was envisioned.
“We thought the land based would start with rejection, move to acceptance and then embrace it,” Pollock said. “That has proven to be accurate. That’s where we are at right now.”One of the problems the industry faces, however, is that legislators across the country, with some exceptions, have looked at igaming on […]
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