Nevada Gov. Fred Balzar probably had no idea how significant his signing of parish proposals 98 to law in 1931 would be almost a century later.
Nevada became the first US state to legalize games with the legislation to revoke a ban on games adopted in 1909 and was a measure designed to counteract the great depression.
Today, Nevada Gaming Control Board says there are 435 licensed casinos operating in the state.
Nevada did not run the first famous American casino. In 1815, a casino that developed in New Orleans was taxed and taxed to raise money for the city’s charities.
Today, the casino landscape is wide across the country and it is actually easier to list which states do not have casinos.
Calculates both tribal and commercial casinos, the only states that do not have them are South Carolina, Georgia, Utah and Hawaii, according to the American Gaming Association. They generated $ 115 billion in gross gaming revenue in 2024, which produced an economic effect of $ 328.6 billion, tax and revenue shares of $ 52.7 billion and jobs for 1.8 million people.
Legalized commercial game is offered in 27 US states.
They are: Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, IoWa, Missouri, Missouri, Arkansas, Louiana, South, South, South Dakana, South Dakota. Coloroma.
Each state and legislature adopted laws to enable legalized play. Following Nevada’s approval 94 years ago, New Jersey, focusing on Atlantic City, approved casinos in 1977. The newest states to approve casinos: Nebraska and Virginia.
The Nation’s Indian tribes are authorized to build casinos through agreements called compacts with the governors of their respective states.
Legalized Tribal Gaming is offered in 33 US states.
They are: New York, Connecticut, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, South Dakota, Nakota, Nakota, Nakota, South Dakot Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico. Arizona, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska and Nevada.
Two other forms of legalized play have emerged – sports weakening and online eigaming.
The professional and amateur sports protection law from 1992 was repealed by the US Supreme Court in 2018 and opened a new era of sports that invests in all except 12 US states.
States that do not allow sports games are South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas, Idaho, Utah, California, Alaska and Hawaii. Missouri recently approved sports games, but it has not yet been adopted.
The latest limit in legalized play is Igaming, legalized investment over the Internet, and only seven states have adopted it – Nevada is not one of them.
The seven states where Igaming are legal are Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Michigan.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@ theplayerlounge.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @rickvelotta at X.
