Share 
Entering 2024, PlayUSA projected that no states would pass legislation to legalize online casinos this year and just one state legislature would act on online sports betting.
With most state legislative sessions in the books or winding down for the year, it turns out even that was optimistic. It’s looking like a big, old goose egg for state legislatures on online gaming legislation this year.
For sports betting, it’s the first year since PASPA was overturned in 2018 that no state legislature passed implementation language.
Here is why legislative efforts failed in each state and where progress was made for the next year. You can keep track of state-by-state legislation efforts for online casinos with our Online Casino Bill Tracker.
2024 online casino legislative efforts sputter
Maryland
Chances entering year: 40%
What happened in 2024: Despite opposition from two of the state’s six casinos, unions and casino workers afraid of cannibalization, the Maryland House passed HB1319.
It was sponsored by Del. Vanessa Atterbeary and had up to 30 iCasino apps, a 55% tax rate on electronic games and 20% tax on live dealer games, a $1 million initial fee for a five-year license renewable for 1% of the average annual proceeds, a prohibition of using credit cards to fund online accounts and preference to applications with social equity applicants or partners. The House also included online casino revenue in the state budget.
The Senate came up with a balanced budget plan without online casino revenue and gave no consideration to doing iGaming this year.
Looking ahead to 2025: Maryland likely will take a year off from considering online casino legislation. Maryland legalization requires voter approval. Since the Senate didn’t act this year, that isn’t available again until the November 2026 general election.
As a result, Watson said he would hold off on introducing Maryland iCasino legislation to give his colleagues a break on the issue. Maryland did make progress in 2024, coming up with a framework that at least one chamber would pass and addressing the social equity dilemma.
The legislature should be more motivated to pass a bill in 2026 to address an educational funding need for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future beyond 2027.
Noteworthy quote: “We’ve done our due diligence. We understand the revenues and the challenges. I think we could all use a break.
We don’t need to waste a lot of time not undertaking iGaming. We’ll give it time to marinate and hopefully have an even stronger bill the next time it is introduced.”
– Sen. Ron Watson
New York
Chances entering year: 25%
What happened in 2024: Early in the year, chances for the legalization of New York online casinos plummeted when Gov. Kathy Hochul didn’t include it in the executive budget.
The New York Hotel Trades Council then went on the offensive by talking to the media about opposition to New York iGaming based on cannibalization concerns and the potential for job loss. Sen. Joe Addabbo, who included a $25 million fund for the union to disburse to members in this year’s bill, lamented how Hotel Trades wouldn’t even discuss what more was needed to get the union’s support.
In the end, not even the New York Senate included online casinos in its budget proposal.
Looking ahead to 2025: New York made no progress toward online casinos to bring into next year. It appears Hochul’s administration doesn’t want to consider online casinos until after the $1, which the commission has said isn’t likely until after the 2025 legislative session.
Addabbo will continue trying to get Hotel Trades to negotiate and budgetary needs eventually will make online casino tax revenue attractive, but immediate prospects don’t look any better than they were entering this year.
Noteworthy quote:
“I want to get together with the Hotel Trades Council and figure out a national model for how we can have iGaming and not cannibalize their brick-and-mortar casinos. We just need to have some initiative and get creative with the language.”
– Sen. Joe Addabbo
Illinois
Chances entering year: 10%
What happened in 2024: Illinois online casino legislation couldn’t get a gaming committee hearing this year. But when Illinois legislators went looking for revenue to fill a budget void, Rep. Edgar Gonzalez told PlayUSA that online casinos did come up in discussions.
Ultimately, Illinois filled the hole by increasing taxes on sportsbooks and video gaming terminals. No progress was made on the main issue, which is how to include the VGT industry to end its opposition.
Looking ahead to 2025: This year showed that Illinois has funding needs and is looking toward gaming to fill them. The state increased gaming taxes to raise revenue this year but now that option has been used. That could lead legislators to take a more serious look at online casino legalization in 2025.
Noteworthy quote: “Early in the session when I asked people if they were willing to discuss online gaming, there was a lot of reticence. But as we got closer to the end of the session, a lot of folks realized we’re going to need money. By May, people were talking about it as a potential revenue source.
It didn’t happen because we were able to make up revenues other places. But next year is looking like an even tougher budget year and, based on the conversations we had this time around, I think people have not yet fully bought in but are getting closer to accepting iGaming as a potential revenue source.”
– Rep. Edgar Gonzalez
Maine
Chances entering the year: 5%
What happened in 2024: Despite modest expectations entering the year, Maine came the closest to legalizing online casinos)
2024 online sports betting legislation misses mark
Minnesota
Chances entering the year: 85%
What happened in 2024: The high projection for passage was based on Minnesota Indian tribes and horse racetracks being close to an agreement at the end of last session. But Rep. Zack Stephenson and tribes made tracks a worse starting off this year.
Then Canterbury Park and Running Aces asked and got approval from the Minnesota Racing Commission to offer historic horse racing. Running Aces also filed a RICO lawsuit alleging that tribal casino executives were offering illegal games.
It seemed unlikely tribes and tracks would get any agreement done this year. However, key legislators facilitated a deal that had support from all stakeholders.
A conference compromise focused on a state lottery, electronic casino gaming facilities and the tribal compact failed by one vote when Sen. Greg Albritton, the Senate champion for sports betting and gambling expansion, voted against a bill now opposed by his constituent, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PCI).
Looking ahead to 2025: Even though the Alabama gambling expansion effort came close this year, and sports betting passed the House, it appears the end-of-session breakdown will lead to each side taking a step back in 2024. Seeing no chance for passage in the Senate, the House — which passed sports betting legislation the past two years — didn’t bother pushing a bill this year.
Missouri sports teams and online sports betting operators looking to circumvent the legislature, moving forward with gathering and submitting signatures for a sports betting initiative that appears on its way to the November ballot.
Looking ahead to 2025: If sports teams and operators do put a Missouri sports betting initiative on the ballot, voter approval will set up online sports betting to launch in 2025. A negative vote could stop Missouri sports betting efforts.
If proponents withdraw their initiative, lawmakers could finally see if they can pass sports betting legislation without Sen. Denny Hoskins (who terms out at the end of this year) standing in the way.
Noteworthy quote:
“Time and time again, the legislature has shown their inability to get this done, which is all the more reason we’re on a parallel track to make Missouri the 38th state to legalize sports betting through a ballot initiative.”
– Jack Cardetti, Winning for Missouri Education campaign
Oklahoma
Chances entering the year: 5%
What happened in 2024: Oklahoma started the year with a sports betting bill, HB 1027 with tribal exclusivity over retail and online sports wagering, already through the House and in the Senate.
Then Gov. Kevin Stitt offered a proposal to give Oklahoma tribes exclusivity over retail sports betting but allow commercial operators to enter the state and offer online sports betting untethered. Sen. Casey Murdock filed SB1434 representing the governor’s plan.
The $1 as a non-starter with tribes. Neither bill advanced this session.
Looking ahead to 2025: All Oklahoma House members and one-third of Senators are up for re-election this November. That likely makes 2025 an educational year for new members on sports betting and tribal issues in general.
Changes in Senate makeup could help Oklahoma tribes get legislative support for tribal exclusivity. However, Stitt is in office for another two years.
Oklahoma tribes have been open to discussions but not leading the charge for online sports betting legalization. Part of that is like in California, the 38 federally recognized Oklahoma tribes need to figure out how each tribe can benefit from online gaming.
Noteworthy quote: “Nothing really went on with sports betting this session. I think part of that probably was other tribal-state relations issues took up a lot of oxygen in the room.
Legislative leadership never showed any desire to take up sports betting, probably because they knew it would be a lot of work since we didn’t have an agreement in place.”
– Matthew Morgan, Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association
Hawaii
Chances entering the year: 0%
What happened in 2024: Despite members expressing concerns about the impact of gambling in their communities, the House Economic Development Committee surprisingly advanced HB2765 by a 5-2 vote.
While advancing the bill, the committee still didn’t set a licensing fee or tax rate to set a basis for future legislation. Legislative efforts died when the bill did not cross over by the March 7 deadline.
Looking ahead to 2025: Although they didn’t pass the sports betting bill, Hawaii lawmakers did pass a resolution for a Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism to create a sports wagering working group to conduct a study on the impacts of legalizing online sports betting in the Aloha State.
But the study results aren’t due until prior to the 2026 legislative session, so 2025 looks like another year for education on the issue.
