January kicks off legislative sessions in most states, nearly all of which will introduce some form of gambling legislation. Here are the seven most potentially consequential proposals lawmakers ushered in through the first week of this year.
Texas sports betting and casino ballot measure
The US’ second-most populated state takes another stab at commercial gaming
Overview: The legislation would let Texas voters approve the state’s first-ever commercial casinos as well as online sportsbooks in the most sweeping proposed expansion in state history. The bill needs to pass in the 2025 session to go before voters in the November 2026 midterms.
Status: Likely dead on arrival. Though the Texas House of Representatives has shown interest in both casinos and sportsbooks, state Senate leaders said they will not take up any gaming bills. Proponents are publicly optimistic they can sway enough Republican Senators in the GOP-controlled upper chamber to bring the bill up to a vote, but it seems like a long shot at best.
Maryland online casino gaming
Online casino gaming backers try to push iGaming across the finish line
Overview: Maryland voters have a chance to approve real money online slots and table games in 2026 after allowing mobile sportsbooks in 2020. Maryland would be just the fifth state with a competitive iCasino market, joining New Jersey, Michigan as well as neighbors Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Status: Labor opposition as well as concerns from some of Maryland’s own casino operators tanked a once-promising iGaming proposal in 2024. Many of the same opposition groups remain entrenched this year, making the newest attempt a difficult political climb. One wrinkle is an online casino proposal introduced in neighboring Virginia in its 2025 session, a development that could alter lawmakers’ opinions north of the Potomac River.
Northern Virginia brick-and-mortar casino
NoVa lawmaker tries again to bring casino gambling to the capital’s backyard
Overview: Supporters of a destination brick-and-mortar casino near Tysons Corner will again try to bring up a measure that would let resident voters approve such a facility. The latest proposal comes after similar efforts fell short last year but just a few years after the General Assembly permitted voters in five southern Virginia jurisdictions to approve casinos.
Status: There are roughly 1,000 casinos in the US but few in such a heavily populated region as the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C. and almost none in such an affluent area. Local community leaders have opposed the casino and so too has BetMGM, which operates a destination resort casino in the area. The previous proposal generated widespread support as a business development tool in economically disadvantaged areas; far less backing exists in wealthy Northern Virginia.
New Jersey college prop ban
State that led to nationwide sports betting looks to add a new ban
Overview: Lawmakers in New Jersey, which spearheaded the legal challenge that permitted single-sports betting outside Nevada, look to ban player prop bets on individual college athletes. New Jersey is one of a handful of states that also bans bets on in-state college teams.
Status: New Jersey maintains the in-state betting ban despite industry opposition and the lack of similar prohibitions in most legal betting markets. The NCAA also backs a nationwide ban on college player props such as points scored or home runs hit, and could make New Jersey a focal point of a broader nationwide push. As one of the nation’s gaming leaders, New Jersey’s decision could impact other states considering similar bans.
Oklahoma sports betting approval
The nation’s largest per capita tribal gaming market revisits sports betting
Overview: Sports betting advocates in Oklahoma introduced multiple legislative proposals that would allow betting at dozens of tribal brick-and-mortar casinos as well as mobile sportsbooks. Oklahoma is one of just 11 states that hasn’t approved any form of legal sports betting.
Status: Oklahoma gaming tribes haven't yet endorsed any of the introduced 2025 bills and seem disinclined to do so. The tribes maintain their compacts with the government require sports betting authorization to be on their terms. Without tribal backing, there's little chance 2025 breaks Oklahoma’s sports betting prohibition.
New Hampshire sports betting age increase
One of the few 18-and-up betting states considers matching the national average
Overview: New Hampshire, one of the handful of legal sports betting states that let sports bettors age 18 and over place wagers, introduced legislation that would bring that requirement to 21.
Status: Brick-and-mortar casino gambling is typically restricted to patrons age 21 and over, in part because of federal alcohol laws. Obviously, no such restriction is required for digital gambling, but most states have enacted the 21-and-up age requirement for online sports bets. DraftKings is the only currently licensed mobile sportsbook in New Hampshire.
South Carolina sports betting
Another longshot effort to expand gambling
Overview: South Carolina sports betting proponents have once again proposed legalizing sports betting. Efforts in each of the past few years gained little traction.
Status: The Palmetto State’s sports betting prohibition likely continues. There's little political appetite for gambling expansion in the state’s deeply conservative legislature. Though other politically conservative Southern states including Tennessee and Louisiana have legal mobile sportsbooks, South Carolina's legislative environment seems unlikely to give this latest effort much of a chance.