We have been told for some time now that the world is shrinking – and that we have globalisation to thank for this. This also means that many nations are starting to share more and more cultural similarities.
One of the more surprising ways that this is manifesting itself is in the world of gambling. That is because it would seem that we are entering a phase in which this centuries-old activity now has an extra incentive and impetus behind it,
One only has to look at the figures to get a sense of its rapid growth. In 2021 it was estimated that the global gambling industry was worth around $458 billion a year. What’s more, projections are that it is set to continue to grow at a rate of around 18% a year for the foreseeable future.
One particular driver behind this has been the meteoric rise of online gambling in its many forms. These range from online casinos that aim to capture the spirit and excitement of the real thing to the exploding market of sports betting.
UK and the US: two very different approaches
The Irish writer George Bernard Shaw is famous for saying that the UK and the US are “two countries divided by a common language”. The same is fairly true when it comes to their respective attitudes to gambling and – somewhat surprisingly – it’s the UK that leads the way, for the moment at least.
That is because, back in 2005 the then Prime Minister Tony Blair and his government decided to liberalise an already fairly liberal approach to gambling even more.
This included a number of measures but, at its heart, meant that any operator capable of meeting the legal and business requirements could get a licence to trade. This applied to online casinos as much as it did to actual ones.
To oversee the licensing process and act as an overall regulator, a national organisation called The Gambling Commission was established.
This led to the boom of online casinos in the UK. Today, you can head online and be met with a wide range of online casino providers, all claiming to offer the best games and the best bonuses and promotions. New players receive the best bonuses, with casino sites like Dream Vegas offering a 100% bonus up to £300 as well as 150 bonus spins on selected games for all new players. With so much choice and competition it is best for UK players to research before choosing which site they wish to plat with.
However, it is a rather different story in the US. Here, there is no overall national organisation that oversees the activity. Instead, it is administered on a state-by-state level and the reason for this is simple.
Individual states are allowed to make their own rules about the activity, and even to ban it entirely. This has led to a situation in which there is a great variation in the law depending on where you live or travel.
For example, there are the obvious states like New Jersey and Nevada where gambling is permitted in various forms, but primarily in casinos. At the other extreme, there are two states where all forms of gambling are banned absolutely – Utah and Hawaii.
Then there are other states, which can generally be found in the so-called Bible belt, which are almost as extreme, and South Carolina is one of them. In this state the only forms of gambling that are allowed are bingo, raffles and the state lottery.
Based largely on moral grounds, this limits the opportunities of South Carolina’s inhabitants to enjoy even private poker games even in their own homes. However, for a far more liberal approach, would-be gamblers simply have to head over the border to North Carolina.
Here they will be able to enjoy lotteries, raffles, and bingo, as well as no less than three tribal casinos offering all of the classic games.
The rise and rise of sports betting
Away from the casino scene, one area that is seeing a considerable shake-up in the US is sports betting. This has been incredibly popular in the UK for some time now, and it’s steadily increasing in popularity in the US.
This comes after the historic decision made by the US Supreme Court in May 2018 that individual states should be allowed to decide whether to legalise the activity for their residents.
This ruling came following a concerted campaign by New Jersey to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act that had been in place since 1992.
Despite considerable opposition from all of the major leagues, the court ruled by a majority of 6-3 that sports betting should be permitted. Since then, there has been a fairly comprehensive U-turn from the leagues who have now embraced the activity.
They have been joined by a number of states and, to date 27 of them now allow it with legislation currently going through in a number of others.
In the UK it is predominantly soccer that is the main sport that fans bet on. In the states there is a wider spread encompassing football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey and many more.
Looking ahead
Ironically, the tables could soon be turned in the two countries’ attitudes to gambling.
In the US the sudden explosion of sports betting has helped to create a slightly more open and enthusiastic approach to gambling. So, a number of states are edging closer to permitting online casinos to operate within their borders. With this, the size of the market is set to grow, and a number of US operators are looking to take over UK businesses to exploit their expertise.
In the UK, however, there is a long-awaited review of the gambling industry due to be announced later on in 2022 which may well tighten restrictions on operators.
So, all of the big names are looking on with a little trepidation – and perhaps also looking to the US for their next big business opportunity if the laws do indeed become more restrictive on home soil.