Is Gambling Ever Going to Be Legal in All 50 US States?

Gambling was and still is a contentious topic in the US and the world in general. Many states have already made it legal and reek the benefits of a thriving market, while others are strictly opposed to such legalization. Why are some states of the US so opposed to making gambling legal? How did we get to where we are at with gambling in the US?

Major Gaming Legalizations in the US

The first casino in the US opened its doors in 1822, it was called the Brown's Saloon. Up until the early 1900s, there were casinos all throughout the American West. However, a conservative campaign got rid of them in every state, including Nevada.

Nevada casinos reopened in 1931 to battle the effects of the Depression that hit the entire nation. Southern Maryland was the pioneer of slot games, the state made slots legal in 1943, and then the game became popular in other states, like New Jersey. Atlantic City made casinos legal in 1978, and South Dakota did likewise in 1989. Native American reservations and states along the Mississippi river began to operate casinos ever since the 1990s. This period of time was also when riverboat casinos were made legal in many states. In 1996, Michigan made it legal for casinos to operate in Detroit.

One of the most important developments of the last decade was the overturn of 1992’s PASPA, the law that prohibited states from operating and sponsoring sports betting establishments. In 2018, it was overturned. Now the states are able to define gambling and sports betting as they see fit.

The bigger the market becomes, the more opportunities for security players get. There are programs that help problem gamblers and addicted individuals, and states support the concept of responsible gaming. There are also services like the iGaming MI website that promote responsible gaming.

The US States that Are the Most Opposed to Gaming

Utah

Utah is one of the two states in the US that don’t have any form of gambling. No state lottery, no bingos, nothing. The constitution of Utah clearly states that no form of gambling is or will be legal in the state. This is the least likely state to ever make gambling legal, all the governors were opposed to the idea, and never even considered it.

Hawaii

Hawaii is the second state that doesn’t have any form of legal gambling. Hawaii doesn't oppose gambling, it just doesn't want to compete with Las Vegas and other more popular gambling tourism destinations. Most visitors to Hawaii do not intend to gamble when they get there.

Alaska

The state considered introducing sports betting in 2020, and Governor Mike Dunleavy even expressed support for the proposal. The COVID-19 epidemic, however, stopped the bill in its tracks.

In this case, the state’s opposition to legalized gambling is based on two factors. The first is the notion that a legal market wouldn’t be all that attractive and won’t be able to compete with states like Nevada and New Jersey. The second one is the idea that legalization would negatively affect other major industries of the state, like mining, precious metals, and wood products.

Bottom Line

Most states that made gambling legal can boast of high tax revenues and the economic impact of the industry. For example, in 2021, Nevada’s gambling market had an economic impact of $55.98 billion and contributed $8.27 billion in taxes to the state. New Jersey had an economic impact of $6.45 billion and contributed $1.19 billion in taxes to the state.

Americans continue to value the advantages and thrill of legal, regulated gambling as it spreads into new states and industries. According to a study from AGA, 42% of American adults engaged in gambling of some kind in the previous year, and 34% of Americans visited casinos, up from 28% in 2021.

We may not truly know what the future holds for the gambling industry, but we expect it to become even more popular in the upcoming years.