Whilst sports betting and other iGaming activities continue to take the world by storm – and will likely continue to do so soon – there is no denying that there are still some rather negative feelings towards the industry.
Indeed, although opinions and perceptions are starting to change with many states making it legal to gamble online in the US, there are still some that appear to be rather reluctant to legalizing it.
There will be a plethora of valid reasons as to why so many states have negative feelings towards the iGaming sector, although there are governments in certain areas that are ready to try and push through bills and new legislation that would allow for it to take place.
Fears of an Atlantic City 2.0
One of the reasons that some states in the United States of America may be rather reluctant to legalizing iGaming and sports betting within their borders is down to history, with the fact that Atlantic City showed so many positive signs but ultimately ended a rather huge failure.
Of course, Atlantic City was designed to replicate what Nevada was able to do on the west coast with Las Vegas but on the east coast in New Jersey. Numbers originally suggested that things were working well, with numbers being greater than they were in the established city, however they soon took a tumble and left damage to the state that is still felt today.
Poverty and unemployment soared in the state, whilst tourism completely declined, thus leaving New Jersey struggling and in a state of flux. With the way they have turned out, there will be some states that fear the same happening to them as soon as they open iGaming to their residents.
Poverty and Addiction
There is no denying that sports betting and iGaming can be a rather addictive hobby for many, with some getting into real trouble when they have not been able to correctly discipline themselves when playing online slot games or at casino table games. It’s obvious that users must learn about the risks before starting to gamle with their well earn money,
With these issues being rather impactful on everyone, there will be a number of states that will be concerned as they do not want to be having to try and bail out people with addiction and poverty, especially when each state has been hit hard already due to external factor.
It is similarly hard, though, to deny that iGaming can provide the states that have not legalized the activity with a boost in revenues, although they may feel that the damage caused could potentially be too much to handle, with the disadvantages outweighing any potential benefits that may be had by introducing it.
Old values and strong resistance
With the US having outlawed any form of gambling for much of their history and having implemented it in their constitution, there will be many that will be instantly against the idea of changing it to allow this type of activity/hobby to be allowed.
California – the largest state regarding population – is one such state that has faced strong resistance, although they are keen to provide it to their residents in the future. The region has a number of American Indian gambling tribes, as well, which means it is harder for other businesses in the iGaming sector to get involved as those tribes oppose outside casinos and sportsbooks.