The online casino industry hasn’t really seen a ton of growth over the last few years, even though it has proven to be extremely profitable. There are still just six states with online casino gambling, but it continues to be a hot topic in other states throughout the country.
Lawmakers in the state of New York have already expressed an interest in legalizing this industry, but it doesn’t seem likely that it will happen. There will be at least one state that passes a bill to legalize this industry, and two options have already emerged.
Ohio and Maryland have taken preliminary steps to legalize this industry, but there is still plenty of work to be done. Both states have had a group study the iGaming industry so that they can collect enough data to introduce a bill.
Here is a look at where both stands currently stand at this point, and what might stand in the way before a bill is officially passed.
Maryland Wants to Protect Commercial Casinos
The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency was recently in charge of overseeing a study on online casino gambling that was organized by the The Innovation Group. The findings of that study were presented to state lawmakers recently, and there were some concerns in the finding.
According to the report, online casino gambling could decrease the revenue for commercial casinos by 10%. That is not something that lawmakers are comfortable with, and that’s actually much different than what other states have found.
Not only are lawmakers in the state not comfortable with seeing the commercial revenues losing money, but there is also a concern that there will be a loss of jobs. Maryland lawmakers are trying to create more jobs, and this new industry would be counterproductive.
There would be some ways to make up for the lost revenue and jobs, and it would come from setting a high tax rate for online casinos. The bill that was recently introduced had a tax rate set at 46%, and that is extremely high.
Lawmakers are expected to continue to pursue online casino gambling in Maryland, but there might be more opponents based on the findings of this study.
Ohio Study Committee Coming
Lawmakers in the state of Ohio are late to the party a bit when it comes to exploring online casino gambling, but that could be changing soon. A study committee in the state is expected to study online casino gambling in February, and that could lead to some action.
The Ohio Sports Gaming Study Committee is going to be leading this study, and there will be a number of things to check out. Ohio is surrounded by states with this industry as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia have all already legalized.
A bill is not expected to be introduced this year, but 2025 is the current target. It took Ohio awhile to get online sports betting up and running, but the success of that industry could lead to some sweeping changes.
