Panel says New York, Maryland and maybe California could offer internet gambling soon
With Rhode Island this week becoming the seventh U.S. state to launch internet gambling, industry panelists at an internet gambling conference say they foresee several additional states joining the fray in the next few years
NEW YORK — With Rhode Island this week becoming the seventh U.S. state to launch internet gambling, industry panelists at an online gambling conference predicted Wednesday that several additional states would join the fray in the next few years.
Speaking at the Next.io forum on internet gambling and sports betting, several mentioned New York and Maryland as likely candidates to start offering internet casino games soon.
And some noted that, despite years of difficulty crafting a deal that satisfies commercial and tribal casinos and card rooms, California is simply too big a market not to offer internet gambling.
“Some of the dream is not quite fulfilled, which creates some opportunity,” said Rob Heller, CEO of Spectrum Gaming Capital.
Before Rhode Island went live with online casino games on Tuesday, only six U.S. states offered them: New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan and West Virginia. Nevada offers internet poker but not online casino games.
Shawn Fluharty, a West Virginia state delegate and chairman of a national group of legislators from gambling states, listed New York and Maryland as the most likely states to add internet gambling soon.
He was joined in that assessment by Brandt Iden, vice president of government affairs for Fanatics Betting and Gaming and a former Michigan state representative.
Both men acknowledged the difficulty of passing online casino legislation; Thirty-eight states plus Washington, D.C., currently offer sports betting, compared to seven with
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