Online casinos may be a thriving business across the world, but in the United States, they are not as common as you might think. With only seven states – Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia – having regulated online casinos, players in the rest of the US have to visit unregulated offshore sites. That said, though, there are some parts of America where politicians are working to let people gamble online and, potentially, help their local authorities earn some extra tax money. Here are some of the states that could see online casinos become a reality in the next year or so.
Illinois
One state where online gambling looks as if it could well become the eighth state to legalize online casinos is Illinois. The Land of Lincoln currently has some legislation going through its state legislature that, if approved, could allow the state’s bettors be able to play online as early as the end of 2025. Earlier this year, both the state’s House and the state senate introduced parallel bills that would, if passed, legalize and regulate online gambling in Illinois. What makes the state a very likely contender to introduce iGaming is that the legislation in question, HB 3080 and SB 1963 / SB 2499, is currently actively progressing through the Springfield legislature.
If the bills are passed, then people in Illinois, who can already play at the state’s 17 physical casinos, who want to bet on regulated sites will be able to do so. Operators would have to pay a registration fee to get their license, and their sites would be subject to age and location verification checks. The matter is being debated, so while players in, for instance, Mississippi, might have to choose offshore sites based on Cardplayer’s MS casino review, Illinoisans could be able to gamble online in-state very soon.
Massachusetts
Moving up to the Northeast, Massachusetts looks like it could be another state to get its own online gambling sites sooner rather than later. In early 2025, a bill, HB 4431, was introduced to the state’s legislature. If passed, it would give residents in the Bay State the opportunity to get involved in online gambling. Massachusetts already has three casinos, with two in the Boston area and one in Springfield, and this legislation could allow the already established physical gambling venues to set up their own websites, which could allow customers to take advantage of their services from the comfort of their own homes.
Applicants would pay a $100,000 license fee, with an extra $50,000 to set up an additional website, and the state would take 15 per cent of adjusted gross revenue every month. Again, the sites would have to verify the ages and locations of customers, while there would be a daily deposit limit and a ban on using credit cards to make deposits.
New Hampshire
Staying in New England, New Hampshire is another state that could well end up allowing its own, regulated, online casinos by the end of next year. What makes the proposed legislation in the Granite State particularly interesting is that, technically speaking, there are no actual physical casinos in New Hampshire. While there are places that call themselves casinos, they operate under the state’s charitable gambling laws, which means that they have to give a portion of their profits to good causes. And, in many ways, the act that is currently being examined by state lawmakers would operate in a similar way, because it legislates for between three and six online casinos which would be linked to existing sites in the state.
The bill behind potential New Hampshire online casinos is Senate Bill 168, introduced in early 2025. While it stalled when attempting to pass into law, there is a very real possibility that it could make a more successful return next year.
Maryland
Maryland has a fairly liberal gambling regime, with six casinos in the state. However, residents don’t have their own, regulated, online casinos, but this could, again, be about to change as work is ongoing to change the law. At the start of 2025, state Democratic Legislator Vanessa Atterbeary, who had previously been awarded Policymaker of the Year at the American Gambling Awards, introduced a bill that would have allowed the Old Line State’s six physical casinos, as well as its sports betting operators, sports betting platforms, and video lottery operators to apply for a £1 million license.
While the proposal ended up being tabled, that does not mean that it is the end of the story, because it is certainly possible that it could make a comeback in the 2026 legislative session.
