Ruddock Report: Will Maine Surprise Have A Trickle-Down Effect?
Six other states have active online casino legislation, but each faces an uphill battle
4 min
Our monthly look at the online gambling landscape includes the current legal and regulatory landscape, prospective online casino and online poker states, and significant trends to watch.
2026 has kicked off with a flurry of early activity, with bills filed or refiled in Vermont, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, and Illinois, and one of the biggest surprises in recent memory — Maine Gov. Janet Mills allowing the online casino bill that passed in 2025 to become law.
Maine throws a curveball
Just when you think you have your finger on the pulse of the industry, a state like Maine delivers a curveball and I morph into Pedro Cerrano.
Gov. Mills’ decision to let LD 1164, sponsored by state Rep. Ambureen Rana, pass into law was a shock in every sense of the word, as Mills has always been seen as a gambling skeptic.
Still, it’s not a done deal in the Pine Tree State, as the National Association Against iGaming has tossed around the idea of a ballot repeal and Oxford Casino (operated by Churchill Downs) sued the state, claiming the law violates the Maine and U.S. Constitutions’ Equal Protection Clauses: “Promoting iGaming through race-based preferences deals a gut-wrenching blow to Maine businesses like Oxford Casino that have heavily invested in the state and its people.”
The overarching question is, will legalization in Maine have a trickle-down effect elsewhere? It’s possible in the Northeast, where New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts are online casino candidates. Still, I would caution that online casino legalization has always been a state-level issue that, unlike sports betting, hasn’t succumbed to the pressures of the zeitgeist.
2025-2026 online casino bills
The Ruddock Report will revise this list as new bills are introduced.
Active bills
Hawaii
- SB 1507, sponsored by Sen. Ron Kouchi (carried over to 2026)
- HB 1434, sponsored by Rep. Nadine Nakamura (carried over to 2026)
Hawaii’s longstanding prohibition on all forms of gambling came under attack in 2025, with each chamber of the legislature passing a sports betting bill (the differences were not worked out in conference committee) and introducing legislation to legalize everything from casinos to lottery, including two bills that would authorize online casinos. Those two bills were never seriously discussed, but have been carried over to the 2026 session.
But the big story of 2025 was the authorization of a state working group to study legalization options, including economic impacts, enforcement costs, addiction treatment, and potential integration with developments like the Aloha Stadium.
The existence of the study group, which is required to issue a recommendation report before the 2027 session, makes 2026 an information-gathering and education year for Hawaii. Even with a favorable report, online casinos are improbable within three years, though sports betting could serve as a more modest entry point if momentum builds.
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, but 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 where it was told by Accel management that “there is no shot” of iGaming legalization in the state.
And recall that the March 13, 2025, hearing turned into an anti-legalization struggle session, when the anti-online crowd marched in small business owners to hammer home its point.
Rep. Gonzalez has filed two bills in 2026. The first resembles last year’s effort, HB 3080. 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 are the ongoing effort to repeal the recently enacted city of Chicago tax on sports betting and the authorization of VGTs in Chicago.
Massachusetts
- HB 4431, sponsored by Rep. David Muradian (reporting date extended to March 2026)
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, and most of the questions pointed to concerns about the existing harms of sports betting.
The upcoming 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
- S 2614, sponsored by Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. (re-referred in 2026)
- A 6027, sponsored by Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner (re-referred in 2026)
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 now turn its attention to online, but there are still several hurdles to clear.
The major roadblocks are 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 opposition to online cannibalization. Nor are the three casino operators (Bally’s, Hard Rock, and Genting) heavily online-focused companies.
And New York Gov. Kathy Hochul hasn’t shown any signs of supporting iCasinos.
Vermont
- S 318, sponsored by Sen. Christopher Mattos (2026)
Vermont is a new and intriguing online casino candidate. The state doesn’t offer any form of land-based gambling, but it does allow mobile sports betting, which eliminates potential stakeholder opposition.
That said, the online casino effort will run headfirst into a separate effort to legalize online lottery sales, H 669.
Virginia
Virginia burst into the online casino conversation last year with two bills, SB 827, sponsored by Locke, and HB 2171, sponsored by 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 in January.
Simon and Locke introduced new bills, HB 161 and SB 118, in January, which are making progress through their respective committees. Locke’s bill was amended with stronger problem gambling safeguards and live-dealer studio requirements to help quell cannibalization concerns and has passed the General Laws Committee.
However, an amendment added a re-enactment clause, requiring the bill to pass the full legislature again in the 2027 session before it can take effect — effectively delaying any potential legalization until at least next year.
