This week, North America's gambling legislation has been active, from Hawaii in the Pacific to the French-speaking Quebec in Canada, as various regions seek a balance between expansion, regulation, and the crackdown on illegal activities. The Hawaii House Committee has once again passed an online sports betting bill, despite strong opposition from the police and the Department of Justice; negotiations for tribal online gambling in Wisconsin are ongoing, but Republicans hope to involve commercial entities; Indiana moves further with a lottery casino ban; Maryland revisits the legalization of iGaming; Washington State allows tribes to bet on local college teams; Quebec is urged to open its market to private operators. In plain terms, each region is redefining its stance in its own way. Want a one-stop understanding of the latest landscape of North American gambling legislation? PASA's official website continues to summarize key dynamics for you.
1. Hawaii: Online sports betting faces another hurdle, hard to withstand opposition
The Hawaii House Economic Development and Technology Committee passed the HB 2570 bill with a 5-3 vote, proposing to legalize online sports betting. Despite the bill moving forward, it faces strong opposition: the State Attorney General's Office, Honolulu Police Department, and the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs all testified against it.
Key points of the bill:
At least 6 online sports betting licenses to be issued
Tax rate of 15%
Effective date marked as "July 1, 3000," intended to leave room for further discussion
Last year, a similar bill reached the conference committee but failed due to disagreements over tax and license fee details. Governor Josh Green was willing to sign at that time. This year, the bill still needs to pass two more committees before it can be voted on by the full House.
2. Wisconsin: Tribal online gambling negotiations are at a standstill, Republicans want a "share"
The AB 601 bill allowing tribal operation of online sports betting was shelved during the recess, but House leadership indicates that discussions are still ongoing. Democratic Governor Tony Evers supports the tribal expansion of online operations, but Republican lawmakers want commercial entities to participate as well.
Republican Representative Eda Niren explicitly stated: "I strongly oppose the proposal for mobile sports betting limited to tribes." The difference in positions means any bill requires complex political compromises.
3. Indiana: Further steps towards a lottery casino ban
The HB 1052 bill passed by the House last week received unanimous support in the Senate Public Policy Committee. Although the committee chair, Ron Alting, had hoped to amend the bill to tax and regulate lottery operators, the ban version was ultimately passed.
The bill also grants the Indiana Gaming Commission greater authority to combat illegal operators. The state legislature will recess on February 27, leaving little time for the bill.
4. Maryland: iGaming makes a comeback, alongside problem gambling measures
Senator Ron Watson has reintroduced the online casino legalization bill SB 761, marking his third consecutive session pushing this issue. Meanwhile, the HB 518 bill proposes to mitigate the impact of problem gambling by banning player option bets, prohibiting credit card funding, and mandating time and deposit limits.
If the iGaming bill ultimately passes the legislature, it will be decided by voters in a November referendum. Previously, labor groups and the National Anti-iGaming Association strongly opposed it, believing it would impact physical casinos and employment.
5. Washington: Tribes can bet on state college teams, but not on players
The Senate passed the SB 6137 bill with a 41-8 vote, allowing tribal casinos to offer betting on state college teams, but prohibiting bets on individual student athletes. Proposer Adrian Cortes pointed out that residents are already betting on local games on unlicensed platforms, "We need to protect student athletes and properly regulate."
Sports betting in Washington State is currently limited to tribal lands.
6. Quebec: Coalition calls for opening the market to private operators
As Alberta is about to open its commercial online gambling market, the Quebec Online Gambling Coalition has submitted a brief to the Ministry of Finance, urging the province to follow suit. Coalition spokesperson Arianna Gauthier stated: "Why limit regulation to Loto-Québec's website? Quebec could apply the same advertising, age verification, and accountability rules to private platforms."
Suggestions include:
Establishing an independent regulatory body
Setting Quebec-specific regulatory standards
Issuing operator licenses to private companies
Using revenue to support the community and prevent problem gambling
The coalition estimates that Quebec currently loses 300 million Canadian dollars in tax revenue annually.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel: https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel: https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
