United States — Gambling Regulation
No federal licence exists: UIGEA polices payments, the Wire Act covers interstate sports wagering, and since Murphy v. NCAA (2018) struck down PASPA, each state decides for itself — producing a patchwork of regulated and prohibited markets.
Legal status by vertical
| Vertical | Status | Since | Tax / basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online casino | Grey Market | — | — |
| Sports betting | Regulated | 2018 | — |
| Poker | Grey Market | — | — |
| Lottery | State Monopoly | — | State lotteries; online sales (iLottery) in a subset of states |
Legal state-by-state: eight states license online casino — New Jersey (2013), Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Maine (2026, the newest). Most states do not. Statuses per state on the dedicated page.
Legal in c. 38 states + DC after Murphy v. NCAA; rules and taxes vary widely by state.
Licensed in a handful of states (NJ, PA, MI, NV, WV...); multi-state liquidity via MSIGA.
Fifty regimes, no federal licence
No federal gambling licence exists in the United States. Federal law polices the edges: the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 targets gambling payments rather than players, and the Wire Act covers interstate sports wagering. Everything else is state law — which is why the answer to "is online gambling legal in the US?" is always "in which state?"
The pivot was Murphy v. NCAA, decided May 14, 2018, in which the Supreme Court struck down PASPA, the federal ban on state-authorised sports betting. Sports wagering competence returned to the states, and roughly 38 states plus the District of Columbia have since legalised it — under rules and tax rates that vary widely from market to market.
Casino and poker: the slower map
Online casino has spread far more slowly than sports betting. Eight states license it: New Jersey (the pioneer, 2013), Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island and — newest — Maine, live in 2026. In the rest of the country, online casino is either expressly prohibited or simply unauthorised. Online poker is licensed in a handful of states, with multi-state player liquidity pooled under the MSIGA agreement.
Each legal state runs its own regulator — the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the Michigan Gaming Control Board and their peers — each licensing and taxing independently. Lotteries are state monopolies throughout, with online sales (iLottery) permitted in a subset of states. The result is the patchwork this atlas maps state by state rather than as one market.
Key facts
- UIGEA 2006 targets gambling payments, not players
- Murphy v. NCAA (May 14, 2018) returned sports-betting competence to the states
- State regulators (NJ DGE, PA PGCB, MGCB...) license and tax independently
Frequently asked questions
Is online casino legal in United States?
Who regulates online gambling in United States?
What is the online gambling tax rate in United States?
Is online sports betting legal in United States?
Can private operators run lotteries in United States?
- Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (31 U.S.C. §§ 5361–5367) — U.S. Code (Legal Information Institute), www.law.cornell.edu
- Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, 584 U.S. ___ (2018) — Supreme Court of the United States, www.supremecourt.gov
- New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement — nj.gov, www.nj.gov