Ruddock Report: G2E’s Radio Silence On Online Casinos
The gaming industry's primary annual conference saw minimal discussion of iGaming legalization issues
Our monthly look at the online gambling landscape includes the current legal and regulatory scene, prospective online casino and online poker states, and significant trends to watch.
The biggest gaming conference in North America was unusually silent on what should be the most significant topic in the gaming universe: online casino legalization.
The Global Gaming Expo, which everyone knows by the acronym G2E, is considered the preeminent conference centered around the U.S. gambling industry. That typically produces conversations concerning every aspect of the sector, but this year the view was more myopic. Prediction markets dominated, while online casino legalization barely registered.
There was little coverage of what is one of the most critical topics for the gaming industry: the possibility of U.S. online casino expansion. Neither the sector’s current struggles nor its prospects were in the spotlight.
The closest we got was a session titled “iGaming’s Next Chapter” with Light & Wonder’s Howard Glaser and Fanatics’ Brandt Iden, billed as a look at the future of online gaming in the U.S.
There was some talk about Canada, as Dale Nally, Alberta’s gaming minister, talked about the province’s recently launched regulated market.
Meanwhile, state lawmakers remain bullish
During an iDEA Growth webinar in late September (full coverage of the webinar can be found here), three state lawmakers in candidate states discussed what has tripped up online casino discussions and what needs to happen to get a bill across the finish line.
Ohio state Rep. Brian Stewart, sponsor of HB 298, targeted 2027, when current Gov. Mike DeWine (who is term-limited) leaves office. DeWine has been a staunch opponent of online casino expansion and has consistently stated his regret over legalizing sports betting.
Massachusetts state Rep. David Muradian, the sponsor of HB 4431, said he expects another push, calling online casino legalization “the next logical step” for the Bay State. He stresses that residents already play offshore without oversight.
Virginia state Sen. Jeremy McPike expects Virginia to take another stab at online casino legalization after both chambers passed slightly different bills in 2026 (HB 161 and SB 118) but failed to agree on one that could pass.
2025-2026 online casino bills
The Ruddock Report will revise this list as new bills are introduced and reset the list at the start of the 2027 legislative cycle.
Active bills
Illinois
- HB 4797, sponsored by Rep. Edgar González Jr.
- HB 4802 (poker-only), sponsored by Rep. Edgar González Jr.
I’ve likened Illinois to the little engine that can’t, as there have been efforts to legalize online casinos in the state going back more than a decade.
There is certainly high-level support, as Gov. JB Pritzker called iCasinos an idea worth exploring last year. Pritzker’s 2026 budget said nothing about online gambling but proposed increasing taxes on existing casino table games.
More importantly, until the politically powerful VGT industry is on board, which is unlikely to happen anytime soon, legalization will remain out of reach. In January 2026, the team at Citizens met with Accel Entertainment and was told by Accel management that “there is no shot” of iGaming legalization in the state.
And recall that a March 13, 2025, legislative hearing turned into an anti-legalization struggle session, when the anti-online crowd marched in small business owners to hammer home its point.
Rep. Edgar González Jr. has filed two bills in 2026. The first resembles last year’s effort, HB 3080, and the second is an online poker-only bill that has no text and simply reads, “Amends the Illinois Gambling Act. Adds a Section concerning online poker. Contains a Section heading only.”
Also working against Illinois is the ongoing effort to repeal the recently enacted city of Chicago tax on sports betting, and the authorization of VGTs in Chicago.
Washington, D.C.
- CB 260656, sponsored by Councilmember Wendell Felder
A bill in Washington, D.C. would legalize online casino games while simultaneously prohibiting sweepstakes sites. The bill would impose a licensing fee of $2 million and set the tax rate at 25%, with an additional 2% local fee.
A hearing was held on May 4, but after four hours of robust debate, no vote was taken.
Inactive bills
Hawaii
The bills did not meet the legislative deadline and are effectively dead for the year.
Maryland
Sen. Ron Watson introduced two separate bills, one to legalize online poker and one that would legalize online casino games and bingo. SB 885 was paired with SB 761, which called for a statewide voter referendum in November 2026 for full implementation. The online poker bill sought to overcome the union and stakeholder opposition that has thwarted the state’s past online casino efforts.
A hearing on March 11 in the Budget and Taxation Committee resulted in no vote, as problem gambling and cannibalization concerns persist. The bill failed to pass the Senate before the March 23 crossover deadline and is effectively dead for the year. SB 884 was withdrawn by Watson on March 13.
Massachusetts
- HB 4431, sponsored by Rep. David Muradian
Massachusetts held two committee hearings on online casinos in 2025, but a vote was never taken. A June 23, 2025, legislative hearing (on HB 332 and SB 235) was short and sweet, with testimony and no questions from the committee. No vote was taken at the November hearing in front of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies either, but lawmakers did ask questions, with most of the questions pointing to concerns about the existing harms of sports betting.
The bill was sent to study on March 23, effectively killing it for the remainder of the year.
The recent launch of online lottery products will also make further expansion difficult, as Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg said in December: “I, right now, am firmly against iGaming. They may not like me for that, but I gotta think about the people of Massachusetts, and that’s my top priority.”
New York
New York has frustrated online gambling supporters for more than a decade. Last year’s efforts barely got off the ground as the state was busy handing out downstate casino licenses. Now that the downstate casino licenses have been awarded, there is growing optimism that the legislature can turn its attention to online expansion, but there are still several hurdles to clear.
Those include the state’s labor unions and cannibalization concerns, and with three new casinos coming, that means thousands of new union jobs and three new land-based properties to voice concerns about online cannibalization. The three casino operators (Bally’s, Hard Rock, and Genting) are not online-focused companies, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul hasn’t shown any signs of supporting iCasinos.
Virginia
Virginia burst into the online casino conversation last year with two bills, SB 827, sponsored by Sen. Mamie Locke, and HB 2171, sponsored by Del. Marcus Simon. The existence of the bills wasn’t a surprise, but the attention they received certainly was. Still, stakeholder opposition and union concerns caused Locke and Simon to pull their respective bills.
Simon and Locke introduced new bills in January, HB 161 and SB 118. The new bills include policies to address lottery and job concerns, as well as higher problem gambling funding.
The bills progressed to a conference committee, where they failed to win approval.
Steve is a highly respected and oft-cited voice in the legal online gambling space. Steve is an analyst and consultant and the publisher of the Straight to the Point newsletter.
