The issue of online gambling is a sensitive one in the US. There are many international online betting platforms that are restricted in the country. Even with those that are based in the US, they’re only accessible in certain states as they haven’t been legalized.

Even though online gambling is legal in states like New Jersey, it’s still illegal in Vermont, Kentucky, Georgia, and other states. Will it ever be legal? We’ll explore some of the reasons why these states haven’t legalized sports betting to see if there’s a chance they’ll legalize it in the future.

Vermont and Kentucky

There’s hope that soon Vermont and Kentucky will have sports betting legalized. Bills have been put forth for officials to legalize and regulate sports betting. Vermont is pressured by nearby states like New York who have since legalized this form of gambling.

In Kentucky, the bill was introduced at the beginning of the year, with the aim of legalizing all kinds of sports betting. Voting towards making this bill a reality is expected to happen in 2023.

South Carolina and Georgia

If you’re planning to start betting at FanDuel in Ohio, then great, that can happen as soon as you join the site. However, if you’re in South Carolina or Georgia, don’t be fooled by the bills that have been put forth to propose legalizing sports betting because you’ll be waiting very long before you can start playing.

South Carolina has had the bill discarded or voted down for the past three years. There seems to be no pressure from its neighboring states and it doesn’t seem like anything will change anytime soon unless a new approach is introduced.

On the other hand, Georgia needs a whole constitutional amendment in order to make sports betting legal. This can take years as this idea was rejected at the beginning of 2023.

Is There Hope That These States Will Eventually Legalize Sports Betting?

More and more states are working towards legalizing online betting. For some it’s a long shot as it’s been voted against a couple of times and for others there’s hope due to the pressure from surrounding states.

There is a long list of states that haven’t legalized sports betting yet. These also include Texas, Missouri, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Idaho, and Alaska.

We can’t say that there’s hope for all of them, but things do change and hopefully, they’ll all allow citizens to make the decision of joining a sportsbook themselves one day.