Is Online Slot Gambling Legal in Which States?
Online slot gambling has become a popular activity across the United States. It’s a fast-growing industry that’s enjoyed by millions of players. But is it legal? And if so, in which states is it? We’ll sift through the laws of each state to find out.
The laws on casino games are decided at the state level, with most having their own department or division of gaming. This division is tasked with overseeing the legality of all forms of gambling in their jurisdiction. This includes both land-based casinos and iGaming operators. There’s also a lot of regulation in place to keep things fair for all players. In most cases, a casino game is considered illegal if it has a negative impact on the local community or economy.
Some states are more receptive to online gaming than others, and that’s particularly true for real-money games at regulated casinos. Centuries of gambling aversion have made some lawmakers wary, but they’ve been slowly won over by the success of iGaming and its ability to draw in millions in tax revenue for each state.
Despite these trends, some state laws still prohibit the use of online casino games. Some of these restrictions are related to the laws on sports betting, while others are more general in nature. For example, the Federal Wire Act of 1961 is one of the biggest obstacles to the expansion of online casino gaming. This law was designed to stop the transmission of information and payments involving sports wagering across state lines, but a 2011 reinterpretation allowed for exceptions to this rule.
Massachusetts is among those states that have yet to authorize a regulated iGaming market. However, it’s not out of the picture altogether as a bill has been proposed that would allow for mobile sports betting and potentially online casino play in the future.
Arkansas is another state that doesn’t allow for regulated iGaming at the moment. However, the recent legalization of sports betting has paved the way for this type of gaming in the near future.
Rhode Island is another state that’s currently allowing for regulated online casino gaming. It launched its first wave of iGaming sites in 2023, following the lead of neighboring Northeastern states.
In the meantime, California is the only state that doesn’t have a legalized casino online. However, there are more than 60 tribal casinos that offer banked casino games. Efforts to introduce legal sports betting and online casinos in the Golden State have stalled in the past, however, due to a feud between tribal leaders and major casino operators. It remains to be seen whether a resolution can be found and legalization will happen in the coming years.