According to the recent decision by the Supreme Court to overturn the Bradley Act, or Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), a number of states have made moves towards fully legalising sports wagering.
Keeping up with what is or isn’t legal is troublesome. To help players across the states, PlayUSA have put together a tool for working out exactly what’s legal in which locations, from online gaming through to horse racing, and some details on the legal challenges the different games have faced.
Freedom in the US
So where are you most likely to be able to get into a game? Surprisingly, the answer isn’t Nevada, though it does rate highly. These are the top states for legalised gambling:
Pennsylvania – The Keystone State is also the most gambling-friendly state. 12 commercial casinos have been created since their legalization in 2003, and 89% of gambling forms are legal (with the final 11% being legal at certain, qualifying locations). Pennsylvania is also looking into taking advantage of the PASPA ruling, with sports bets already legalised and regulations in the works.
Delaware – Unlike Pennsylvania, Delaware doesn’t offer casino gambling everywhere in the state. It does, however, maintain several constitutionally exempt casinos, as well as sports betting, a State Lottery, and bingo. It doesn’t, however, offer online lottery gambling – you’ll have to go buy a ticket in-store instead. 78% of gambling types are legal here.
New Jersey – With the introduction of sports wagering, New Jersey has established itself as one of the most accepting locations of gambling. The only forms which aren’t permitted are online lotteries and video game terminals.
Nevada, New York, Maine, West Virginia – 67% of all forms are gambling are allowed across these four states, but each one offers different games to play. Nevada, for example, certainly has statewide gambling establishments (one of only two states). But unlike the majority of other states, there is no State Lottery – the casino industry has lobbied against it, as it would undermine their own market share.
Sun, Sea, and Statewide Bans
Hawaii, at the other end of the scale, has a blanket ban on all forms of gambling. Social gambling between friends is allowed, and some bills have been introduced attempting to legalise both internet gambling and daily fantasy sports, but historically legislation attempting to legalize gambling in the state has been rejected.
The State of Play
For the rest of the states, and to see which gambling has the least acceptance in America, explore the tool on the PlayUSA website.
