Land Based Gambling
Online Gambling
Overview
The United States of America offers some interesting laws and regulations regarding gambling. Each state has the opportunity to decide which forms of gambling they want legal or illegal. Montana is one of the states with the most unique gambling laws in the US.
You will find that this state is not as open to gambling as neighbouring states. While land-based casinos have been welcomed the state has made an effort to keep the iGaming industry at bay. Interestingly enough Montana is home to many gambling establishments including poker bars and other gambling venues. The first ‘casinos’ were essentially bars with gambling activities taking place inside. This includes offering poker and video lotteries as well as some off-track betting activities.
Today there are several regulated gambling activities in the state which includes Bingo, Poker, Sports Pools, Video Keno, Video Lottery, Lottery, Tribal Casinos and Lottery Fantasy Pools. More traditional forms of gambling, however, have been kept out of this state. It does make for an interesting offering allowing locals and visitors to enjoy a unique offering in the state.
When it comes to online gambling you will find that horse racing is the only legalised option available. Over the years there has been some effort to legalise more options but all have failed. The authorities have gone the extra mile to increase regulations and tighten laws on online gambling operations in the state. In recent years they made it impossible for operators to run sites within the state.
There is no telling what the future holds for online gambling in this state as authorities are more forces on land-based gambling activities. It could be quite some time before any online gambling activities are allowed here.
In Montana, drinking and gambling are activities that go hand in hand which is why you’ll find several bars offering gambling activities on site. While Montana is considered an anti-gambling state this is inaccurate as the residents in this state adore gambling activities.
One of the biggest obstacles for the gambling industry is a small population in the state which means smaller gambling revenues each year. Some might argue that legalising online gambling could potentially bring in larger revenue for the state. Currently, there is no legislation in play or planning to bring this notion to life.