Online gambling: How long until it's legal everywhere?

Thanks to improvements in technology, a change in federal rules and shifting political calculations, a push to legalize online and mobile gambling is picking up steam. Three states already have moved to allow it, and Silicon Valley tech companies, including San Francisco-based social gaming giant Zynga, are rushing to cash in.

Proposals are being promoted in numerous other states, many of which are searching for new revenue to replace tax dollars wiped out by the Great Recession. It's not just cash-strapped state governments that see a potential jackpot in online gambling. Casino operators and Silicon Valley tech firms are also pushing for legalization. Zynga, for example, is already moving to offer online gambling in the United Kingdom and Nevada. Legalization proponents argue that many consumers already gamble online through offshore sites. By legalizing the activity, they say, states can tax and regulate it -- and U.S. companies can benefit.