Annual Review of Online Casino Gambling in America

As 2025 draws to a close, it's a good time to look at America's online casino gambling landscape. The past year has been filled with news related to the proliferation of "sweepstakes casinos" and legislative battles regarding the legalization of online casino gambling.

For starters, the nation entered 2025 with seven (7) states allowing their residents to legally enjoy iGaming activities. Surprisingly, the nation will be entering 2026 in the same position. Those seven (7) states are:

• Connecticut


• Delaware


• Michigan


• New Jersey


• Pennsylvania


• Rhode Island


• West Virginia

Note: five (5) states looked hard at online casino legislation in 2025, only to shelve said legislation until some time in the future. Those five (5) states were Arkansas, Indiana, Maryland, Virginia, and Wyoming, a state that issued a total ban on all forms of online gambling.

Are things likely to change during the new year? That remains to be seen. Let's take a quick look at some of the states that could be looking at passing iGaming legislation in 2026.

Hawaii

The notion that Hawaii's legislature would consider passing any kind of gambling legislation is surprising. Opposition on moral grounds aside, Senate Bill 1507 has been submitted for consideration. This is not the first attempt to pass iGaming legislation. It's not likely to pass, and other attempts will surely be made later in the year.

Maine

According to Rep. Ambureen Rana, an online casino gambling bill is passing through a committee. The bill focuses on allowing Tribal retail casino operations to also offer online casino options. It's not yet clear if this bill will get traction.

Massachusetts

Active companion iGaming bills have been floating around the House and Senate. On the House side, the effort (HD 4084) is being led by Rep. Daniel Cahill. On the Senate side, it's Sen. Paul Feeney’s SD 2240 that's getting all due consideration. New bills might come to the forefront in 2026. It's possible something could get done next year in Massachusetts.

New Hamphire

Senator Tim Lang has been trying to bring iGaming legislation to the Senate for over three years now. While still unsuccessful, he has indicated he will continue down this path for as long as it takes to get a definitive answer. It's promising that his 2025 bill, SB 168, made it past the Senate’s Ways and Means Committee before getting shelved in the first quarter of 2025.

New York

Sen. Joseph Addabbo has worked diligently to pass online gambling legislation in the Empire State. The biggest barrier he has been facing is the Senate's focus on the development of retail casinos throughout the New York City area. Clearly, the Senate is not interested in approving iGaming access while a lucrative retail casino option awaits. Addabbo has promised he will not be deterred in his efforts in 2026.

Barring any legislative surprises, these are the five (5) states that warrant iGaming scrutiny in the upcoming year. Given a nation of states with tax shortfalls, more states might consider online casino legislation to strengthen their financial coffers.