As a legal matter, gambling is a state-by-state issue. Each state determines what kinds of gambling it will allow within its borders, how much money players can place wagers on, and whether or not there are any age restrictions to limit participation. Each state also determines which online gambling formats are legally available within its borders. For example, some states require that players be 21 or older to participate in sports betting and casino gambling. But other gambling and gambling-adjacent formats, such as horse race betting and daily fantasy sports (DFS), have lower minimum ages.

Currently, forty-eight states allow some form of online gambling, including sports betting. The only exceptions are Hawaii and Utah, which ban gambling altogether due to their religious beliefs.

Most states have some kind of legalized sports betting, with Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware leading the pack in terms of revenue generated by sports betting. But there are still many states that have not passed legislation or regulated the industry, while other states are only just beginning to explore how to regulate and market sports betting.

In the 1990s, when the World Wide Web was first emerging, online gambling seemed like a potential end-run around traditional laws that prohibit or restrict gaming activity. All that was needed to get a site up and running was a friendly offshore jurisdiction, an Internet connection, and the ability to accept credit card payments. Online gambling quickly exploded in popularity, and governments scrambled to keep pace with this massive disruption.

Online gambling has continued to grow, and it now represents a significant portion of the global gaming industry. It has even surpassed land-based gambling in some countries, such as Italy and Spain. This rapid growth has not gone unnoticed by the United States government, which has been trying to come up with a way to regulate online gambling.

While most states now have some sort of legalized gambling, there are still significant restrictions in place. For one, many sites do not accept American players. There are also concerns about privacy, which many consumers are wary of. Some state officials are also concerned that gambling websites could be used for illegal activities.

The state of California has taken a different approach to online gambling, and is the only US state that does not ban it. While it does have some of the nation’s most restrictive gambling laws, this is mainly due to the fact that it has strong tribal gambling interests. The state’s tribes have lobbied hard against any kind of legalization, and this has made it difficult to pass a bill.

Despite these limitations, California does offer several resources for those with problem gambling issues. These include the Gambling Helpline and the Walden House, which provide free and confidential treatment from qualified specialists. The state also runs a self-exclusion program that bars gamblers from licensed gambling venues, but this does not currently extend to online casinos. However, there are plans to expand it to include these sites in the future.