Online gambling has established itself as one of the most sought-after forms of entertainment these days. No one can deny the instinctual urge to indulge in gambling as a result, making the industry grow exponentially these days especially when the world is under voluntary confinement. It is a legit form of entertainment that is accessible a few clicks from any active device like mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and so on.
With the advent of current technology, slots have been replaced by laptops, mobile has replaced poker cards, and hence, to stay relevant, the industry is now more focused on growing the online gambling sector with American casinos or sportsbooks and also trying to get more people into online gambling. In order to meet the purpose of popularising the activity, it is indispensable to legalize it in states that do not permit gambling considering it as a sport. This is to pave a way towards getting people to lawfully access gambling games as well as removing any hesitance from doing so.
History
The online casinos first started budding up back in 1994 right after the country gained access to the Internet. Operators of these casino sites were mainly belonging to distant countries like Antigua and the Isle of Man. Although they belong to countries overseas they accepted players from countries like the United States. In the year 1996, a Gambling Commission was set up by Canada, Quebec and Montreal were capable of issuing licenses to online operators belonging to the states of North America.
This pact of a nation was known as Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake and they operated under the identity of Kahnawake Gaming Commission. They undoubtedly created a rapidly growing market of online gambling by the year 1998 that summed up to a worth of $800 million. With the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, the US government attempted to completely ban online gambling of any sort that too within a year. However, all sorts of online gambling were declared illegal as well as advertising for the same. In 2006, the implementation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act as a by-product of the Safe Port Act made it unlawful for all the banks registered under the US to enable transactions related to online gambling.
Although these days some states have legalized the act of online gambling, there are some more that are on the verge of legalizing it. For now, the most popular form of online gambling is sports betting, in this article we are about to discuss the states that are more likely to legalize sports betting in current years.
Georgia
In the case of passing bills for the Georgia Senate, it arrives in a complex situation even though it is indispensable for the bills to pass in order to legalize GA sports betting. The SR 135 referendum allows the population of the state of Georgia to choose between the legalization or illegalization of poker and sports betting by a 41-10 weightage.
Another bill called SB 142 has to be passed by a 34-17 weightage of votes in order to establish the revised regulations. Although a political scenario might lead to a downward spiral the sports betting industry seems to be heading in the correct direction.
Kansas
Kansas is almost there in the race of legalizing sports betting among the other states. The only thing hindering the process is an insufficient number of votes. SB-84 was a bill passed through the state Senate by a weightage of 26-12. It is important to mention this bill is backed up by some top operators of the industry.
Wyoming
In this state of Wyoming HD-133 is a bill passed through the house supporting sports betting by a 32-28 weightage of votes. It will further be discussed with the Senate Committee on Appropriations. It legalizes online sports betting and apart from that, authorizes the Wyoming Gaming Commission.
Texas
Although Texas is not lagging far behind in the race, it is yet to go a longer distance compared to the rest. Texas Sports Betting is still a goal that requires a lot of perseverance although they are done filing a bunch of bills related to sports betting in current years. The slow pace is mostly due to the limited number of state meets.
Conclusion
According to our opinion, legalization is a long-term goal considering the time and effort it requires for Georgia, Kansas, Texas, and Wyoming to reach their goal but definitely a possible solution for legalizing sports betting and to play poker machine for free as well as paving a way for legal allowance of online gambling services.
