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It seems that online gaming, featuring internet slot machines and interactive table games, referred to as iGaming, will continue to be confined to seven states following unsuccessful legislative attempts in multiple areas this year.
In 2025, Arkansas and Maine were among the many states that proposed legislation to permit online casino gaming. Both contemplated becoming part of Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia in overseeing internet casino platforms and applications.
This week, both attempts were unsuccessful as legislators declined to support the expansion of casinos to the online platform.
Arkansas Online Casino Effort Diminishes
During the 2025 legislative session, Arkansas legislators considered bills permitting individuals aged 21 and above to gamble on their computers and mobile devices. One proposal involved extending gambling to the internet — to support online sports betting — in order to generate revenue for Arkansas college and university name, image, and likeness (NIL) initiatives.
Following the halt of that initiative, state Rep. Matt Duffield (R-Russellville) introduced a bill with seven Democratic co-sponsors to permit iGaming. House Bill 1861 aimed to permit the state's three commercial casinos — Saracen, Oaklawn, and Southland — to collaborate with third-party online casino providers such as DraftKings and FanDuel for iGaming activities.
This week, Duffield pulled the bill from the House Judiciary Committee after the committee advised finishing a study on the effects of online gambling on the state. This implies that iGaming will not be active in Arkansas for 2025.
Maine iGaming Discarded
The legislation for online gaming in Maine faced a comparable outcome. This month, lawmakers initiated discussions regarding online poker and casino gambling, as the state’s four federally recognized tribes seem set to hold a monopoly on this type of gaming.
Maine legislators proposed granting the tribes the iGaming monopoly to enhance their dominance in online sports betting. Penn Entertainment and Churchill Downs, the operators of the state's two commercial casinos — Hollywood Bangor and Oxford — opposed the iGaming proposal.
This week, Maine's iGaming legislation in the Legislature was postponed for additional examination.
No New States for iGaming
Nearly two years have passed since Rhode Island became the seventh state to approve online casinos (iGaming launched in the state in March 2024). Although lawmakers in various states have considered becoming the eighth iGaming jurisdiction, these attempts have so far been unsuccessful.
In addition to Maine and Arkansas, discussions about iGaming in 2025 took place in Hawaii, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and Wyoming. The actions in Indiana, Maryland, and Ohio are still in effect, although there have been no recent developments.
With the initiation of the 2025 legislative season, Deutsche Bank analysts forecasted that no state would enact laws permitting online casino games. The prediction appears to be becoming clear.
Although iGaming contributes significantly more in taxes compared to sports betting, which operates on thin profit margins, critics of online casinos frequently express worries about the adverse effects on physical casinos and the potential rise in problem gambling.
