Florida Likely Only State to Add iGaming Over Next Several Years

Posted on: March 13, 2025, 05:37h. 

Last updated on: March 14, 2025, 09:23h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.
  • iGaming legislation continues faltering
  • Florida could be only state to add it through 2027

The start of each new year brings optimism that more states will approve internet casinos, and 2025 was no exception. But less than three months into the year, it already appears likely that no states will add that form of wagering this year.

Florida sign
A “Welcome to Florida” sign greets travelers to the state. The state could be the only one to add iGaming over the next several years. (Image: Katherine Welles/Adobe Stock Images)

In fact, one research firm the outlook for online casino expansion over the next three years is grim, with just one state likely to join that fray. That would be Florida, the third-largest state by population.

Our house forecast remains one new casino state (Florida) in the next three years through 2027,” said Eilers & Krejcik Gaming (EKG) in a note out on Thursday.

iGaming is permitted in just seven states today — Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia. Six states considered related legislation last year, but those efforts resulted in no approvals, and Indiana has already killed a related bill this year.

iGaming Outlook Likely Disappointing to Operators

When Illinois implemented a graduated tax rate on online sportsbook operators last year, a view emerged in the industry that iGaming could be the compromise between states and the industry. The states would get a new revenue stream and sportsbook companies would avoid higher taxes.

However, that’s not playing out in real time. As things stand today, Maryland and New Jersey appear to be the states most likely to approve sports wagering tax hikes this year. There’s no momentum for internet casino legislation in Maryland because politicians view it as a potential threat to the state’s land-based gaming venues, and New Jersey already allows that form of betting.

The current outlook for iGaming bills likely represents disappointment to the industry. As EKG points out, executives from Caesars, DraftKings, Entain, and Rush Street Interactive all recently made comments implying they believe more states will add online casinos this year or in 2026.

“The typical view of online casino in state houses remains negative. In light of that dynamic, it is much easier politically to raise taxes on an existing sin industry (OSB) than legalize an entirely new one,” according to the research firm.

Florida Won’t Be Much Help to the Industry

Assuming EKG’s theory is proven accurate and Florida is the only state to add iGaming between now and the end of 2027, it wouldn’t move the needle for the industry at large because it’s almost certain that Hard Rock, the gaming arm of the Seminole Tribe, will hold an online casino monopoly in the state as it does with sports wagering.

The tribe’s sports betting compact was supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who can’t run for reelection in 2026.

Potential candidates for the top elected spot in the Sunshine State have yet to make public comments on backing or opposing iGaming.