iGaming saw something of a slow start in the US due to many archaic restrictions surrounding the legalisation of gambling. In New Jersey, iGaming has been popular since 2013, but with legislation changes, the last four years have been significant. Now there is a whole host of new gambling websites scrambling to be the best US online casinos. How’s the industry reached its peak, or is it still set to explode further?
What Changed?
The first change came in 2018 when the United States devolved power for sports book gambling down to the state level. This garnered immediate interest, and the first wave of states was waiting patiently for the change and was ready to go very soon after it was legalized. Others have been more cautious but are now starting to see the benefits that iGaming can bring to both the punters and the state budgets.
The World Locked Down
The second event that led directly to the growth of gaining across the US was the global pandemic and subsequent lockdown. People were restricted to their homes for months and wanted things to do. While physical casinos were shut down, online casinos took advantage of the boredom factor and tempted many new players to join their ranks. The growth was significant, comparing April 2020 to April 2019, the difference was an increase of 118.6%; the comparison can be continued into May of those years, with the difference between 2020 and 2019 being an increase of 124.1%, and finally, June showing a 123.1% gain.
Then Things Changed for Good
Even when the world began to open after the lockdown, it became clear that iGaming had not just been a direct consequence of the pandemic. It may have started out that way that people loved what they saw. It was the same in many areas; working from home suddenly became much more desirable, and people didn’t want to return to work. Bricks-and-mortar casinos started dropping revenue, and in Atlantic City, there was a 43.7% drop in yeah once things opened back up. It seems that punters like the convenience of being able to interact with their favourite sports teams, casino games and more without having to leave the comfort of their sofa.
Amazing Revenues
In 2020 at the height of the lockdown, online gaming was offered in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware. Between these four states, the revenue generated was $1.55 billion. This was an eye-watering increase of 198.9% from the year before. Since then, many other states have legalised iGaming, and there are still others who have given notice that they intend to legalise gambling. While iGaming may remove some of the camaraderie that one gets at a gaming table in Las Vegas, the main draw of the game, the thrill of the win or lose, remains, and this seems to be precisely what the players are after. There is little doubt that the eye gaming explosion will continue for many more years across the US before reaching a peak.
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Source: Igaming
