The year 2024 has been challenging for the USA in terms of gambling legislation. Most attempts to further legalize gambling have failed, with California being the most notable example, though not the only one. Consequently, there is little momentum moving from 2024 into 2025. Some might say that the wave of legalization has hit a wall. It seems more likely that states which have already legalized some form of gambling will expand their offerings, rather than seeing non-gambling states suddenly opening up to it.
New Hampshire has been on the cusp of legalizing online casinos for a while. In 2023, an online casino bill passed through the House but faced opposition from leadership. With growing support from charitable casinos and the potential economic benefits, there’s a 50% chance that New Hampshire will pass online casino legislation in 2025.
Legal forms of gambling in the U.S. state of New Hampshire include the New Hampshire Lottery, sports betting, parimutuel wagering, and charitable gaming. As New Hampshire has no federally recognized tribes, the state has no Native American gaming. The state allows cruise ships with gambling machines to enter the state for a maximum of 48 hours at a time.
Illinois is facing a significant budget deficit for fiscal year 2026, totaling $3.2 billion. The state has already raised taxes on sportsbooks and video gaming terminals, making online casino revenue an appealing alternative. Governor J.B. Pritzker has expressed interest in considering online gambling to address the budget shortfall.
In 2024, House Bill 1319 attempted to create a framework where up to 30 licencees would operate online casino games in Maryland, but the bill hasn’t been approved. The licences were supposed to cost $1m for a five-year term and would have been made available to the existing land-based gambling opearators in the state. The bill was passed in Maryland’s lower chamber but failed to progress any further in the senate.
In 2025, House Bill 17 looks to legalise and regulate online gambling in the state, and it’s set to be heard on 8 January. If passed, it would authorise the State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission to licence and oversee online gambling operations in the state.
Indiana has conducted iGaming-related research, estimating that the industry could generate $2 billion in revenue in its first three years. Although a moratorium on casino-related legislation was in place in 2024, the new data and ongoing discussions make Indiana a state to keep an eye on in 2025.
In 2024, the Georgia Senate passed a bill to allow sports betting, but it required a state constitutional amendment, which complicated its passage. The bill, Senate Bill 386, aimed to authorize sports betting under the purview of the Georgia Lottery, with proceeds earmarked for educational programs like pre-kindergarten classes and HOPE Scholarships. Despite the support, the requirement for a constitutional amendment has made the process challenging.
Overall, while there is growing interest and some legislative movement towards legalizing sports betting in Georgia, the state’s conservative stance and the need for constitutional amendments make the path to legalization uncertain. It will be interesting to see how these efforts progress in 2025.
2024 was a big fail in Alabama regarding gambling legislation, as the lawmakers tried a big lift where they attempted to legalize everything from lottery to sports betting to casino. Since we’re talking about a state with no gambling at all – other than electronic bingo on Indian lands – the state legislature failed to pass any proposals.
In 2025, no bills have been pre-filed for the legislative session which is set to run from 4 February to 15 May. During the previous session, the house passed two pieces of gambling legislation but both failed to gain traction in the senate and ultimately failed.
Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina are the three Bible Belt states that are also non-legal gambling states. Alabama doesn’t even have a lottery. Not much is expected to change here, as the most that can be expected is something along the lines of limited sports betting that is available in Florida or Mississippi.
Alaska, the third-smallest US state, isn’t large or interesting enough from a financial standpoint to be in consideration for serious lobbying by the operators. At least not as long as their resources are better used elsewhere.
Daniel Horvat
January 8, 2025