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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 New York State Gaming Commission issues licenses for downstate casinos, 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 in a wild legislative finish. The Senate passed LD1777, which gave online casino exclusivity to Maine Indian tribes, locking out two commercial racinos.
The House narrowly voted the bill down twice, by three and five votes. Even if the legislature had passed the bill, the likelihood of a veto from Gov. Janet Mills was high. She vetoed the first sports betting bill to hit her desk and wasn’t thought to be a fan of this bill.
Looking ahead to 2025: Every legislature in both chambers is up for re-election this year, so it’s hard to say that Maine online casinos will carry over any momentum. The gaming legislative efforts at the end of the session also revealed some fatigue over gaming expansions.
Rep. Joe Baldacci said that, if he gets re-elected, he might put forth a bill requiring that all future Maine gambling expansions go in front of voters.
Noteworthy quote: “From what I heard, the governor was against it, I was obviously against it and the casinos were against it. It was just a flawed bill.
I think we can legalize iGaming and have a more open market here. But just cutting out the casinos was not the way to do it, and changing the cascade of tax beneficiaries was not the way to do it.”
– Steve Silver, Chair, Maine Gambling Control Board
Ohio
Chances entering the year: 0%
What happened in 2024: Ohio legislators formed a study commission on the future of gaming in Ohio led by Rep. Jay Edwards and Sen. Nathan Manning.
Online casinos were the focus of one of four meetings with the Sports Betting Alliance, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, iDEA Growth and Playtech participating in the discussion. The eight-member study commission is working on a report to submit to the Ohio General Assembly by June 30.
Looking ahead to 2025: Building off recommendations from the report, expect Ohio online casinos to have its first bill in 2025. And with neighboring Pennsylvania and Michigan already offering iCasino, Ohio could go from zero to hero on iGaming legislation very quickly.
Noteworthy quote:
“Financially, we’re looking pretty good right now. But I think there may be some time in the future when the state looks for money, and iGaming is obviously a big revenue generator. I do think it’s coming. I don’t think it’s a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.”
– Rep. Jay Edwards
“And I just want people to be prepared because I saw during the sports gaming discussions that not a lot of members were educated on the topic,” Edwards continued.
Wyoming
Chances entering the year: N/A
What happened in 2024: Wyoming wasn’t even on the radar entering the year. No industry sources even mentioned Wyoming as a possibility. Then Rep. Robert Davis surprised everyone by filing HB120, the first online casino bill in Wyoming.
The legislation was based on the online sports betting model, allowing the six sports betting licensees to expand to Wyoming online casinos. With a short session in even years, the Wyoming legislature votes on whether to take up each bill filed. Needing 42 votes, two-thirds of the House, to be considered, HB120 got 25 votes.
Looking ahead to 2025: Next year in a full two-month session, Davis can refile the bill and have it go to committee for discussion without a vote. And based on this year’s vote, he only needs to convince six more legislators for it to pass.
This would follow in the footsteps of the Wyoming sports betting bill, which didn’t make the short session discussion in 2020 and then passed in 2021.
Noteworthy quote:
“When we developed online sports betting in Wyoming, that set a foundation in order to enable iGaming. We have the geofencing in place that protects our neighbors and the sovereign nations, and it has worked quite well. With the foundation in place, iGaming should fit right in there.”
– Rep. Robert Davis
New Hampshire
Chances entering the year: 0%
What happened in 2024: Because a committee dismissed his 2023 online casino bill with a procedural move called “indefinite postponement,” Sen. Tim Lang was barred from refiling the legislation this year.
Looking ahead to 2025: Before finding out that he couldn’t file the bill, Lang told PlayUSA he was optimistic for passage this year after speaking with the New Hampshire Charitable Gaming Operators Association about how to get their support for New Hampshire online casinos.
That puts New Hampshire among the most likely states to pass online casino legislation in 2025.
Noteworthy quote:
“Due to the New Hampshire House using a procedural motion called ‘indefinite postponement,’ I am barred from bringing the topic back up in 2024. While this is a setback, I will endeavor to bring the bill forward again in 2025.”
– Sen. Tim Lang
Indiana
Chances entering the year: 0%
What happened in 2024: For years, Indiana seemed at the forefront of the next wave of online casino legislation. Rep. Ethan Manning was planning a more comprehensive bill this year around online casinos.
But after a former Indiana House representative pled guilty to federal corruption charges for the last Indiana comprehensive gambling expansion (which included sports betting) from 2019, legislative leaders said they would not consider any gaming bills this session.
Looking ahead to 2025: After a year break on gaming issues, will lawmakers be ready to move forward on Indiana online casinos or will they need more time? It doesn’t help that online casinos’ biggest champion in the state and former president of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States, Sen. Jon Ford, left office in 2023.
Manning has yet to even pass an online casino bill through his own committee.
Noteworthy quote: “We’ll continue to educate legislators on the challenges we face and why iGaming helps complement and build on the investments made in our amazing brick-and-mortar properties.”
– Matthew Bell, Casino Association of Indiana
“I think as legislators continue to see our commitment to integrity, we’ll move forward. But we have a lot of work to do and we intend to do it,” Bell concluded.
Iowa
Chances entering the year: 0%
What happened in 2024: Rep. Bobby Kaufmann introduced online casino bill HSB227 in 2023 and got it a subcommittee hearing at the end of that session. The bill carried over to 2024 but, without unified support from Iowa casinos, no action was taken.
Looking ahead to 2025: Iowa Gaming Association President Wes Ehrecke previously told PlayUSA that 13 of 19 Iowa casinos favored iGaming. Regional Elite Casino Resorts, which operates three Iowa casinos, is believed to oppose it due to cannibalization concerns.
Churchill Downs, which owns one casino in Iowa, opposed iCasino efforts in Maryland this year. Iowa online casino efforts won’t progress until the casinos are fully on board, which Ehrecke doesn’t see happening in 2025.
Noteworthy quote: “The Iowa Gaming Association remains neutral, as there are member casinos who favor legalization and some are opposed. So, it’s very difficult to adopt an issue without complete industry unity.” — Wes Ehrecke, Iowa Gaming Association (via Bonus.com)
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, including tribes, tracks and charities, in the final days of session. But with Republicans withholding their support on bills needing bipartisan votes at the end, Minnesota sports betting still couldn’t pass the House or Senate.
It’s possible, though unlikely, that the Minnesota governor calls for a special session to get sports betting done this year. Sports betting will be the first step into online gambling before Minnesota online casinos are considered.
Looking ahead to 2025: Stephenson made a statement at the end of the session that the stakeholder deal marks meaningful progress that can be a foundation for the future.
However, based on past years, there’s no guarantee that Minnesota stakeholders begin next session with the same deal in place. There’s not even a guarantee that Stephenson is shepherding the bill again.
He and all his House colleagues are up for re-election. Election results and the Running Aces lawsuit can potentially change the dynamic entering the next session.
Noteworthy quote:
“I think not doing enough for racetracks earlier in session really hurt the bill’s trajectory. When they came up with the remedy in the 11th hour, it was too late to get it passed.”
– Rachel Jenner, Allied Charities of Minnesota
“They really needed to get something done and passed earlier in the process to avoid that last-minute craziness, which this year was even more chaotic than previous years,” Jenner continued.
Mississippi
Chances entering the year: 50%
What happened in 2024: Mississippi legalized physical sportsbooks at casinos in 2018. This year, the House overwhelmingly passed HB774 by a 97-14 vote to authorize online sports betting.
The Senate also passed the bill, technically, but stripped all mention of mobile sports betting from the legislation first. Essentially, the Senate kept the issue alive for discussion in the conference committee.
There, Rep. Casey Eure said the Senate made demands that included two years of in-person registration and a ban on credit cards to fund accounts. The Senate wasn’t willing to negotiate and the conference committee couldn’t reach a deal.
Looking ahead to 2025: With physical sports betting revenue declining by 10% to 15% in each of the past three years as neighboring states go online with sports betting, it figures that Mississippi will follow paving the way for Mississippi online casinos in the future.
Eure said he plans to meet with Senate colleagues during the second half of the year and hopes to enter 2025 with an agreement to move legislation quickly.
Noteworthy quote:
“I think the Senate just didn’t have an appetite for mobile sports betting, which is a shame because we’re losing millions to illegal states. I believe this is something Mississippians really want.”
– Rep. Casey Eure
“In my 14 years in the legislature, I’ve never gotten more calls on any issue than for mobile sports betting. And I never got a single phone call with someone opposing,” Eure concluded.
Georgia
Chances entering the year: 40%
What happened in 2024: For the second time in four years, the Georgia Senate passed sports betting legislation with a constitutional amendment but the House failed to act. Efforts continued until the final day of session but there wasn’t majority support among House Republicans to bring it to a floor vote.
If a vote was called, House sponsor Rep. Marcus Wiedower believes Georgia sports betting legislation would have passed with bipartisan support. Online sports betting will be a segue to Georgia online casinos if progress can be made.
It appears at least one major issue complicating passage was settled in that both chambers backed the need to do Georgia sports betting through a constitutional amendment requiring voter approval.
Looking ahead to 2025: After seeing his hard work go to waste in the House once again, Senate sponsor Sen. Bill Cowsert said it’s time for the Senate to take a step back on sports betting and wait for the House to act.
Next year might be a slow year for legislative discussion because, with the need for a constitutional amendment settled, it’s really a two-year effort. The constitutional amendment can’t go in front of voters until November 2026.
Noteworthy quote:
“What really frustrates me about not getting sports betting done this year is that Georgia will be losing out on hundreds of millions in tax revenue, not regulating the industry and not providing protections to people who are doing it right now.”
– Rep. Marcus Wiedower
“Over the next two years, the college football playoffs and FIFA World Cup will be coming through Georgia. The amount of revenue we will lose is astounding,” Widower ended.
Alabama
Chances entering the year: 5%
What happened in 2024: The Alabama House, which has been the more gambling-averse chamber in the conservative state, surprisingly passed comprehensive gambling bills including sports betting, retail casinos, a state lottery, and encouraging a tribal compact.
But the Senate stripped sports betting and other aspects from the bill. And when the chambers went to a conference committee, sports betting wasn’t a serious part of the discussion. That said, the state is a long way off from considering Alabama online casinos.
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 for at least a year.
Noteworthy quote:
“When they went down the direction of putting slot machines in seven casinos and not allowing PCI to have any participation in the industry, then kept sports betting and online gaming completely out of the legislation, that went too far for me to support the compromise.”
– Sen. Greg Albritton
Missouri
Chances entering the year: 10%
What happened in 2024: Bickering within the Republican Party early in the session solidified that Missouri sports betting legislation had no chance 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 Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association immediately dismissed the bill 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.
