‘Great news as Connecticut becomes the 6th US Online Casino State! Find out when number 7 hit the US marker! Could it be Texas?’ (Photo by Bob Smith on Unsplash)
The US state of Connecticut has finally signed off on its online sports betting and iGaming bill which will bring multiple online gambling verticals to over 3.5 million state citizens. Online casinos, poker, lottery, virtual sports, and sports betting will all now have licensing introduced for those that want to apply.
It was the state’s governor Ned Lamont hat has the final say in the matter following a majority vote approving House Bill 6451 set out to legalise iGaming and sports betting. The deal drawn up is specifically in conjunction with the Mashantucket and Mohegan tribes who already manage the small land-based casino industry in the state.
Connecticut becomes the 6th state to allow online casinos following the footsteps of New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Michigan while it is the 7th state to allows iGaming as Nevada already allows online poker but not online casinos. Technically Connecticut is the 8th state to allow online gaming if we include Nebraska’s legalised online Keno! As for online sports betting, the state will become the 17th state to offer online sports as Florida is still not at a point whereby licensing frameworks can go ahead!
Small iGaming Market Success: Other states with small populations like Connecticut are showing marked success with revenues and taxes coming from gambling steadily on the rise. West Virginia only has a population of 1.7 million while Delaware is just under 1 million, and in both states, the online operators are showing profitable revenues which should also be replicated in the Connecticut iGaming and online sports betting markets!
Which US State Will Become Number 7 For Online Casinos?
When it comes to online casinos, quite a few states have rejected the notion of giving citizens unlimited web access to video slots, roulette, poker, and a host of other casino games. Those that have proposed bills are North Dakota, Texas, Indiana, Iowa, and Florida.
- North Dakota: After submitting a bill, the state took a few steps back after a vote was unanimously against iGaming when senators showed up 47-0 against – a sheep led state looking at those numbers! 47-0 is ridiculous with no brave souls here so we can write these guys off – although there is hope for an online sports bill.
- Florida: Online sports betting will go ahead at some point as recent reports coming out of the state suggest. Yet the state firmly rejects iGaming. I.e., when approval of the online gambling bill successfully came through, it was under the condition that the proposal changed its wording so there is no backdoor for online casinos. Nice try, but no cigar for online casinos, but the big news for online sports betting is that Florida with its 21.5 million population will become the largest sports betting market in the USA – that is if Texas is unsuccessful with its legislative bills!
- Indiana: Another state that was on course for both iGaming and online sports betting that seems to have crashed and burned just before the finish line. It was looking so positive. Yet, lawmakers pushed the latest bill back and could mean the state will not revisit the topic of online gambling until as far away as 2025, but let’s see! This state is not down and out yet, but disappointingly, there is still a lot of legal too and theow to get through.
Meanwhile: Texas deserves a section of its very own. State members seem to like the idea of becoming the largest online sports betting, retail sports betting and online casino state in the country. There is plenty of money there, a stable economy, and plenty to gain from online gambling!
Texas Online Gambling Backed by Las Vegas Sands
Currently, the most exciting state for online gambling at this time is Texas and its 29 million population! There is hope after two lawmakers in the state filed for legislative consideration for iGaming and sport betting in a move backed by Las Vegas Sands. Everyone seems very upbeat, but we also saw that same positive attitude in Indiana where most assumed passing the bill was a sure thing.
Whether having a large casino corporation backing them helps is another question. If someone is against online gambling, the name Las Vegas Sands is going to have zero effect. However, the legislation looks solid and proposes resorts in Austin, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Antonio as casinos as well as licensing premises to begin negotiating partnerships with online casino operators.
The challenge: Texas has quite a few hurdles to overcome as it would require amending the Texas Constitution which bans most casino games! Yet, the numbers may be too good to turn down and also bragging rights for having the largest online gambling market in the US!
