The U.S. is slowly embracing sports betting and online casino gaming after a turbulent thirteen years following 2006’s Black Friday, as more and more states pass legislation to allow residents to take part in such activities. New Hampshire legalized the practices last week with North Carolina set to follow suit, while New Jersey revealed further increased revenue from gaming, showing that more and more people are enjoying it in the state.

The growth comes more than a decade after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) effectively prohibited all online betting activities in one fell swoop.

New Hampshire Legalizes Sports Betting and Online Gaming

The week of good news for American betting fans began Monday when New Hampshire became the latest U.S. state to legalize sports betting and online casino play. Governor Chris Sununu signed into law a measure to legalize the practices in 10 locations. which will be regulated by the state’s Lottery Commission. Sununu welcomed the move, joking that he wanted to be the one to place the first bet. The same day saw New Jersey, who began legalizing betting in 2010, announce year-on-year gains in every avenue of gaming revenue, showing that the reintroduction of betting and casino gaming is proving a hit with punters.

North Carolina Next in Line

The following day saw North Carolina voting 90-27 in favor of legislation to allow sports betting, leaving just a signature from Governor Roy Cooper required to legalize it. On top of that. Arkansas saw its first legal bet since betting was legalized in November last year. 2018/19 has seen the biggest increase in betting legislation since the UIGEA was introduced, which is great news for fans of online gaming, particularly those who haven’t been able to do so legally since 2006.

Thankfully, common sense seems to be prevailing, and online players up and down the country can hopefully look forward to the day where they can log in and start playing again.