The Midwest is one of the US regions where most states allow some form of gambling and betting. Still, those regulations differ from state to state, and some local authorities are planning to bring important changes to improve the legal conditions.
This is a guide to some of the Midwest states that are going to alter their iGaming and gambling regulations shortly.
Illinois
Home to many internationally relevant sports clubs, from Chicago Bulls and Chicago Cubs to Chicago Whitesox and Chicago Blackhawks, Illinois is also an interesting state from an iGaming point of view.
For the time being, you can indulge in sports betting, parimutuel betting, and riverboat and land-based casinos in the State of Illinois. Betting on horse races and state lottery are also legal in the Prairie State. Interestingly enough, there are no tribal casinos in Illinois, but the licensed riverboat casinos fill that gap.
As for online gambling and betting, the local authorities still haven’t defined any legislation that would allow such Illinois-registered iGaming platforms. Nevertheless, as the online casino landscape is growing, Illinoisans have a plentitude of online gaming options at the tip of their fingertips.
Based on the current condition of this industry in Illinois, we can expect further legal changes in the near future, allowing for a more liberal approach to iGaming.
Iowa
The northwestern neighbor of Illinois, Iowa has gone one step further in democratizing the gambling market. In the Hawkeye State, you can freely gamble inregistered riverboat and land-based casinos, including four tribal gambling parlors, and you can place wagers on sports events, online betting included.
What you still can’t do is immerse yourself in online casinos, as this part still hasn’t been regulated by the state. It’s good to know that there has been a recent attempt to adopt the law that would allow the launch of online casinos on the territory of this state. However, the bill aimed at reaching this goal wasn’t declined by the state legal authorities in 2023. As of July 1, 2024, the moratorium on this legislation is expiring, so we can expect new proposals with the end goal of making online gambling legal in Iowa.
Missouri
Our tour of the US Midwest iGaming rules now goes south of Iowa. In the State of Missouri, the situation is a bit less inclined toward punters. Namely, you can freely bet in 13 licensed commercial casinos and play the lottery, and that’s about it.
Neither horse race betting is allowed, nor sports betting in general. Knowing that Missouri hosts some great sports clubs, such as the Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, etc., this regulation comes as a surprise.
That’s why several clubs have joined forces and started a petition for legalizing sports betting. As reported by the AP News, the result is 340,000 signatures that have been submitted to the Missouri Secretary of State last May. Hence, the proposal could be placed before the voters this November. If it receives enough votes and gets passed by Missouri lawmakers, sports betting could become legal in this state before December 1, 2024.
Minnesota
Minnesota is another Midwestern state yet to introduce a more liberal approach to online gambling and betting. For the time being, if you want to gamble, you can go to one of 38 tribal casinos scattered across the North Star state. Also, it’s allowed to do pari-mutuel betting on horse races and participate in charitable gaming or try your luck playing the state lottery.
The tide is changing, though, as a new bill on sports betting in Missouri has recently entered the Senate discussion. If adopted, it would legalize sports betting, but only in the existing tribal casinos. Another interesting paragraph is that this act would still ban live, in-game betting, which is a popular feature among punters.
Conclusion
iGaming and gambling remain interesting areas for both punters and lawmakers. The Midwest will soon see some new rules, proposed to regulate these two fields to the benefit of both users and service providers.
