U.S States Set to Legalize Online Gambling in Late 2022

Following the demise of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) and a revised opinion on the Interstate Wire Act by the Department of Justice, the outlook for legal online gambling in the U.S.A seems to be changing rapidly for the better of online casino and sports betting enthusiasts. Namely, all individual states are well within their rights to choose whether they want to legalize online gambling or not, and about half of them have already jumped the bandwagon. However, some states have not joined the movement yet. The following list includes the best candidate states to legalize at least one form of online gambling as early as Q1 of 2022. Check them out.

New York

It might seem strange that New York does not allow online gambling, especially considering retail sports betting has been live since 2019. However, that might change in 2022. Namely, the budget Assembly Bill features a section on sports wagering, which clears the path to complete legalization of online sports betting in the state. 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was against the legalization of online gambling at first, took a U-turn on the situation. Thanks to the legislative leaders that reached an agreement on the Fiscal Year 2022 New York State budget, online sports betting will likely come to New York in 2022. 

Now, it is up to the New York State Gaming Commission to ask for proposals and establish the rules under which online sportsbooks can operate. A revenue-share model is the most likely solution, as is the introduction of at least four betting operators. It is predicted that the market in the state can accumulate to $500 million, and the state is rightfully eager to claim its share.

Maryland

Maryland’s online gambling world has been in the process of changing ever since the 2020 referendum in favour of the sports betting expansion. The Maryland General Assembly passed the legislation in April 2021, and Gov. Hogan signed the bill in May, making it official. 

According to the law, operators will get up to 100 licenses, most of which will be reserved for online sports betting sites. Under the provisions of the law, gambling companies will pay 15% tax on their proceeds which will fund state educational programs. 

First bets are expected in 2022, following the authorities’ final acceptance of the rules and regulations.

Florida

Florida is seeing a new initiative, called “Sport and Event Betting Ballot Initiative”, run by the nation’s two biggest online gambling operators, DraftKings and FanDuel. Their goal is to bring online sports betting to the state. The initiative is backed by Florida Education Champions, a new political committee that wants to see gambling taxes directed towards the betterment of education in Florida. 

The initiative threatens to underscore the recent agreement Florida signed with the Seminole Tribe, which can now offer retail and online sports betting in its tribal casinos. However, DraftKings and FanDuel highlight the importance of competitive sports betting for the players and the state budget. 

If the ballot initiative goes through, Florida voters could see the question regarding the expansion of gambling no sooner than November 2022.