SLOW TO EXPAND INTERNET CASINO GAMBLING IS THE FUTURE OF US BETTING, INDUSTRY EXECS SAY

Internet casino gambling is legal in only a handful of states, but the industry is convinced it is the future of betting, even as some worry about cannibalizing physical casinos.

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Speaking Wednesday at the SBC Summit North America, a major gambling industry conference, industry executives acknowledged the difficulty they’ve had in expanding the legalization of online casino games.

Yet they remain certain that, like many other industries, the future of gambling is online.

“Once you get to millennials, people are comfortable basically running their entire life off their cell phone,” said Elizabeth Suever, a vice president with Bally’s Corporation. “This is where gaming is going.”

It’s just not getting there all that quickly.

Only seven U.S. states currently offer legal online casino games: Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia. Nevada offers internet poker but not online casino games.

In contrast, 38 states plus Washington D.C. offer legal sports betting, the overwhelming majority of which is done online, mostly through cell phones.