January 2021

• The biggest story of the month is likely to be the long-awaited launch of online gambling in Michigan in mid-January.
• Casinos in the US have begun to close again due to COVID-19. Holiday travel will likely cause an uptick in infections and potentially shutdowns.
• The New Year also means the start of new legislative sessions in many states. Connecticut and Illinois are prime contenders to introduce new iGaming bills.
• Canada’s quest to legalize single game sports betting continues.

On the industry front, two companies are making moves:

• Bally’s, formerly Twin River, is both expanding its brick and mortar empire and eyeing an entry to the online space.
• Second, BetMGM has only just begun launching its online casino product in states other than NJ. 2021 will be the year we see how it fares nationally.

The US online gambling industry has evolved considerably over the last few years. Online Poker Report has evolved with it.

Our mission is to promote legalization and regulation of online gambling in all its forms, and to fight against the black market and the prohibitionary policies that enable it.

Legal online poker remains a topic of focus. However, despite our name, it’s no longer the only thing we cover.

Online casino and iLottery

Real money online casinos are the topic we cover most frequently, along with related products such as instant online lotteries and sweepstakes casinos.

Online poker

Our original topic of focus, legal online poker is smaller now than it was a decade ago, but still relevant. It also tends to accompany online casinos, so we often cover both at once.

We tend to focus mostly on industry and legislative angles. For more player-oriented coverage, try our sister site USPoker.

Online sports betting

Online sports betting in the US is now even bigger than casinos and poker. However, our sister sites LegalSportsReport, PlayUSA and TheLines are focus on this topic exclusively and cover it more thoroughly, each from their own angle.

International markets

We are first and foremost a news source for legal, regulatory and industry news for online gambling in the US. We provide some coverage of Canada sports betting and other gambling news, as it is an important neighboring market.

To the extent that we cover international gambling news, it is mostly regulatory developments that we look at. Specifically, we look to European markets for clues as to how things might shape up in the US.