As in most states where there isn’t an active gaming industry, there hasn’t been much in the way of a push for online gambling here. However, there have been discussions in the past, and Vermont does have a libertarian lean that has led prominent lawmakers here to oppose a national ban on Internet casinos – even if they have no serious interest in regulating such games themselves.
Lottery is Only Game in Town
We’ll get the biggest news out of the way first: there are no casinos here in Vermont. While there have been a couple of modest attempts to push for a casino, nothing has ever come from these efforts, and there are no Native American resorts either. For those who want to play at a casino, however, there are still options: neighboring state of New York has several casino resorts as does our other neighbor Maine, while more are available in places like Montreal, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
So, what are the casino options for legal igaming in Vermont? The first form of gaming to be regulated here was parimutuel wagering on horse races. But before you get excited about the prospect of betting on horses, you should know that there is no actual racing in the state: essentially making this law meaningless for the moment, though it could potentially open the door to such activities (or off-track betting) in the future.
The most meaningful addition to the landscape began in 1976, when the public voted in favor of a referendum to establish a lottery. The General Assembly created the Vermont Lottery Commission the next year, and games began going on sale on Valentine’s Day in 1978. Soon, instant scratch off tickets and drawings were available throughout the state.
In 1998, the state took the same step that many jurisdictions have with their lotteries by designating that all profits should go towards education. Today, the small, local games run here are available alongside the massive drawings for multistate jackpots like Powerball and Mega Millions.
Other than the lottery, the only other form of gambling allowed is charitable gaming. However, Vermont is pretty open when it comes to allowing organizations to run such events, particularly considering how little they allow otherwise. Non-profits can run raffles, bingo games, poker tournaments and even full casino nights, provided that they are licensed to do so and that the length of time the games are running (and the size of the potential prizes) is limited.