A recent ruling by the US Department of Justice has fueled renewed interest in several US states that are considering the possibility of adding online gambling games for residents, with the state of Ohio the latest to consider it.
"We're exploring this topic," said Dennis Berg, interim director of the Ohio Lottery Commission. "We want to be in the forefront of being able to generate revenue for the lottery commission but it's a policy decision that we will not make on our own."
States such as California and New Jersey eyed legislation in 2011 to legalize intra-state online casino and poker sites for residents but backed away before passing them; the District of Columbia voted to approve online gambling for residents but has yet to implement any sites or offer any games.
The recent ruling by the Department of Justice was in regards to the Wire Act and whether it applied to online lottery ticket sales or other games such as blackjack or poker.
The US government had previously stated that it felt the Wire Act applied to all online gambling, but the ruling released in December 2011 narrowed that focus to just betting on sporting events, potentially giving the green light for US states to sell lottery tickets online and run their own casino and poker sites.
New Jersey is now considering a similar bill that would allow it to offer online gambling, with many analysts believing that it will pass this time; the 2011 bill was approved by the state legislature but ultimately vetoed by the governor at the last minute.
Online gambling is appealing to some states as a way to generate much needed tax revenues, with unemployment still high throughout the US and many state budgets in desperate need of shoring up.
At stake is potentially billions of dollars in tax revenue, with some pegging the US online gambling market as possibly being worth as much as $10 billion per year - far more than the $6 billion that Las Vegas Strip casinos rake in each year.
