Throughout American history, regulating gambling has largely been the responsibility of each state.

The United States is now facing even more regulatory complexity as the rise of the internet and cryptocurrencies has rendered the existing regulations largely ineffective. Nevertheless, gambling has only grown in popularity over the years and is now a massive industry that generated over 40 billion dollars in revenue in 2019 alone. This tension has resulted in a complex regulatory relationship between the government and the gambling industry. On the other, gambling can become a crippling addiction that leads many to economic hardship and is often tied to corruption and crime. On one hand, it is argued that Americans should be free to use their money how they see fit, and gambling typically consists of ‘harmless’ games.

Throughout our history, gambling has remained a source of moral debate. Gambling, in one way or another, has been part of American life for centuries-early colonists participated in activities such as lotteries, betting on cock fights, and other games of chance.