Will it take a pandemic to legalize US online gambling? Last week Las Vegas shut down. Every casino shut their doors. And not just in Nevada, but all across America. Casinos are closed for business.

There is an obvious benefit here for online casinos, poker rooms and sports books, but so many of those are offshore. Only a few states have regulated internet betting, but an industry trade group thinks the global virus scare could change that.

iDevelopment & Economic Association is now pushing states to allow online casino games to replace their disappearing revenue. This includes exploring how governors can use their broad emergency powers to quickly permit online casinos to operate in their states.

We’re still very early in this new “shelter in place” world, but anything is possible. You can read more on this push for regulated US online gambling at the Wall Street Journal.