Which states is sports betting legal
Close to 40 states have some form of legalized sports betting, though about 20 have full online betting with multiple operators. Some states only have in-person. The State of Betting in the U.S. · Recent Developments · Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut. Mobile Betting. Yes, but: Five states have no legislation to legalize sports betting: California, Alaska, Alabama, Utah and Idaho. There are several states. Which states is sports betting legal to the American Gaming Association, 38 states and the District of Columbia have legalized sports betting, meaning single-game sports betting may be.
The Legal Landscape of Sports Betting in the United States
Amidst the ever-evolving world of sports and entertainment, one aspect that continues to gain traction is the legalization of sports betting across various states in the United States. This shift has reshaped the fan experience and opened up a new realm of possibilities in the world of sports wagering. Let's explore which states have embraced this trend and what it means for the sports industry.
State of Play:
As of now, a growing number of states have passed legislation to legalize sports betting, either in physical locations, online platforms, or both. This strategic move has been driven by the desire to regulate and capitalize on the immense popularity of sports betting among fans. The acceptance of this practice has paved the way for states to bolster their economies and provide a safe and controlled environment for enthusiasts to engage in betting activities.
| State | Legal Status |
|---|---|
| New Jersey | Legal |
| Nevada | Legal |
| Pennsylvania | Legal |
| Indiana | Legal |
| Colorado | Legal |
Impact on the Sports Industry:
The legalization of sports betting has had a profound impact on the sports industry as a whole. Not only has it created new revenue streams for states and sports franchises, but it has also enhanced fan engagement and enriched the overall viewing experience. Fans now have a vested interest in the outcomes of games beyond just cheering for their favorite teams, adding a layer of excitement and anticipation to every match.
Furthermore, the integration of sports betting has fostered collaborations between sports organizations and betting companies, leading to innovative partnerships and marketing opportunities. This symbiotic relationship has proven to be a win-win for all parties involved, amplifying the reach and influence of both the sports and betting sectors.
In conclusion, the legalization of sports betting in select states has reshaped the landscape of the sports industry, offering a blend of entertainment, investment, and camaraderie for fans and stakeholders alike. As more states embrace this trend, the future of sports betting in the United States looks promising, heralding a new era of possibilities and opportunities for all involved.
Legal Sports Betting States: Where You Can Bet Online & In-Person
Legality Map
Illinois dragged its feet for a few months and handcuffed itself with its in-person registration requirement, while neither Ohio nor Indiana managed to launch their own sportsbooks until The Hawkeye State launched both online sports betting sites and physical sportsbook locations in August Unfortunately, Iowa lawmakers foolishly included an in-person registration requirement as part of the terms of the online sports betting law.
Thus, the industry limped out of the gate and did not perform up to expectations in its early days. Thankfully, the in-person registration requirement came with a sunset provision, and Iowans no longer had to travel to register after the beginning of Since then, more than a dozen online sportsbooks have launched to offer service in a state without any professional teams to bet.
Kansas took its time to debut as a sports betting state. Its legalization did not happen until May , years after sports betting became a state-level issue. However, to their credit, lawmakers and regulators managed to move with speed and launch sports betting sites at the beginning of September The Jayhawk State is now home to more than a half-dozen sportsbook sites. You can also find in-person sports betting at the four commercial casinos in the state.
As a result, there could be as many as 27 online sportsbooks in Kentucky. However, the exact identities of those sportsbooks is a bit murkier, particularly in light of recent actions by Churchill Downs Incorporated. CDI has announced that it plans to withdraw from sports betting, leaving massive question marks about what kinds of sportsbooks might actually get to operate through the licenses owned by CDI.
Louisiana joined the sports betting fraternity of states in January There are now more than a half-dozen of the best sports betting sites available for play, and several retail locations for in-person betting as well. According to state law, there could be as many as 41 online sportsbooks to launch. Like the state itself, Louisiana sports betting is a quirky endeavor.
The decision about whether to allow sports betting in Louisiana fell to voters at the parish level. Perhaps the most interesting element about what sports betting is and could be in Louisiana pertains to its retail locations. In addition to the retail sportsbooks that you may find at casinos and racetracks in the state, you may also see sports betting kiosks at thousands of bars, restaurants, and truck stops around the Pelican State.
The Louisiana Lottery is able to place these machines there thanks to a special provision in the law. Online and retail sports betting became legal in Maine as of August , and the first online sportbooks launched on Nov. Caesars Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook were the first two sports betting sites to go live in Maine, and even though the new law allows up to four sites, those two may ultimately be the only ones to do so.
Three of the tribes have partnered with Caesars and the other with DraftKings, which is why the state will likely have only two online sportsbooks. The new law also allows up to 10 retail sports betting locations, although it appears there will be fewer than that as well. Few states that have legalized both online and retail sports betting have had more of a gap between the launch of the two formats than Maryland.
After passing enabling legislation in November , retail sports betting opened its doors at several locations just over a year later in December However, sports betting sites were nowhere to be found. Which states is sports betting legal Eventually, the desire of lawmakers, regulators, and operators pushed the ball forward on online sports betting. The first sites opened their virtual doors in November , almost a year after the retail launch and two years after sports betting became legal in Maryland.
There are now roughly one dozen online sports betting sites either launched or soon to launch in the state, and many more are expected to come - Maryland law allows for the possibility of as many as 60 sports betting licenses. Both retail and online sports betting launched; retail sportsbooks opened in January and online betting sites following two months later in March.
Massachusetts is primarily an online sports betting site state. The law which allowed sports betting to begin designated that 8 licenses are tethered to physical locations in the state - its racinos - and an additional 7 licenses are available via competitive bid.
Roughly half of those 15 licenses are already in use in the state. More are expected shortly. All three of the retail locations designated for sports betting have opened physical sportsbooks, too. Michigan first opened physical sportsbooks in , but its splash into the online world in January cemented Michigan as a powerhouse in American sports betting.
At the time, no other state had borne witness to as many online sportsbooks launching on the same day - a fateful Jan. The industry has never looked back, and Michigan is now one of the only states to offer real money online casinos and poker alongside its sports betting, too.
There are now more than one dozen sportsbook sites that are active in Michigan. More might be coming, however, because there are still several casino locations in the state that are eligible to have sportsbooks and have not done so. Mississippi was one of the earliest states to open its doors for sports betting in However, since the debut, the state has remained committed to retail sports betting as the primary option.
Online sports betting is technically legal — there is one active app in the state — but you can only bet via a mobile device if you are physically on the premises of a casino. 
Montana is a rather unassuming state with roughly 1 million residents. So, it makes some degree of sense that its venture into sports betting has been equally unassuming so far.
Part of that unassuming aspect stems from the fact that Montana funnels all of its sports betting activities through its state lottery. There are hundreds of small sports betting kiosks available for in-person wagering, but only a single sportsbook site is active. Montana suffers from many of the same problems that Washington, D.
Nebraska has legalized retail sports betting for its citizens and visitors, but no sportsbook is open for business yet. Regulators continue to work with casino interests in the state to plan out the logistics and practical concerns of accepting wagers at horse racing facilities in Nebraska. The June gambling expansion that permitted the implementation of retail sportsbooks at these locations did not, however, include provisions for online sports betting.
Nevada has offered online sports betting sites longer than any other state. The first online sportsbook in the state and, for that matter, the country launched all the way back in However, Nevada offers sports betting differently than every other state due to the fact that it had no other blueprint to follow at the time. So, even though there are several online sports betting sites to find, you must register and make your first deposit in-person at the resident casino of your chosen app.
Nevada is also home to sportsbook brands that are found in few other places in the US. Be aware, however, that none of these options are sites - all of them are strictly apps. When lawmakers first allowed sports betting to become a legal activity in the state, they specified that there could be no more than 5 online sports betting sites active in New Hampshire at any time.
So, for the foreseeable future, your only online and retail sports betting option in New Hampshire is DraftKings Sportsbook. Every state on this list owes New Jersey a large debt of gratitude. The first online sportsbooks began to appear in August , only a handful of weeks after the ruling.
There are now nearly two dozen online sportsbooks, all representing the top shelf of American gambling brands. New Mexico is an unusual member of the fraternity of states to allow sports betting before the end of However, several of the tribes that call New Mexico home have claimed that the language of their compacts with the state and their rights under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act allow them to offer retail sports betting.
The tribes have not met with any serious resistance from state authorities on this matter so far. Online sports betting is not legal in New Mexico. New York has technically offered legal sports betting since However, the Empire State did not jump into the big leagues - online sports betting - until January , almost three years after the first retail books opened in upstate New York.
Regardless of their tardiness, online sportsbooks in New York soon found themselves managing the flow of the biggest sports betting state in the country. There are 9 online sportsbooks that you can choose to use in New York. North Carolina first legalized sports betting in , although limited it to in-person wagering at the state's tribal casinos.
At present, there are three tribal locations in North Carolina, all three of which now have retail sportsbooks. In , Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law new legislation to legalize online sports betting throughout the state. The law authorizes up to 12 online sportsbooks and several operators are already establishing partnerships to go live once they are able to do so.
North Dakota sports betting occupies the same legal space as it does in New Mexico. There is no law on the books to allow for sports betting to proceed. However, several of the federally-recognized tribal groups in the state have offered onsite sports wagering on their tribal lands by arguing that their compacts with the state permit them to do so. So far, there has been no major pushback from state authorities on this point.
Online sports betting remains illegal in North Dakota. Ohio has not been on the sports betting scene very long. However, the Buckeye State has jumped into things with both feet in the time since then. The launch came just over a year after Gov. The law allows for the possibility of as many as 25 online sportsbooks initially, and it is possible that more could be permitted if certain operators could demonstrate the economic need.
So far, there have been a dozen-and-a-half online launches in Ohio. What does fade mean in sports betting Oregon has had sports betting online and live since However, the Beaver State is not a place to go for a tremendous variety of options. Idaho Online sports betting is not yet legal in Idaho. Illinois Online sports betting is live and legal in Illinois.
Indiana Online sports betting is live and legal in Indiana. Iowa Online sports betting is live and legal in Iowa. Kansas Online sports betting is live and legal in Kansas. Kentucky Online sports betting is not yet legal in Kentucky. Louisiana Online sports betting is live and legal in Louisiana.
Maine Online sports betting is legal but not yet operational in Maine. Maryland Online sports betting is live and legal in Maryland. Massachusetts Online sports betting is legal but not yet operational in Massachusetts. Michigan Online sports betting is live and legal in Michigan. Minnesota Online sports betting is not yet legal in Minnesota.
Mississippi Online sports betting is live and legal in Mississippi. Missouri Online sports betting is not yet legal in Missouri. Montana Online sports betting is live and legal in Montana. Nebraska Online sports betting is legal but not yet operational in Nebraska.
Nevada Online sports betting is live and legal in Nevada. New Hampshire Online sports betting is live and legal in New Hampshire. New Jersey Online sports betting is live and legal in New Jersey. New Mexico Online sports betting is live and legal in New Mexico. New York Online sports betting is live and legal in New York. North Carolina Online sports betting is live and legal in North Carolina.
Online betting will start on March 11, , with eight North Carolina sports betting apps :. The bill allows for 12 online sportsbook licenses, so all the big players like FanDuel and DraftKings are there. Which states is sports betting legal The bill also adds pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing to the state, and adds more brick-and-mortar sportsbooks.
Lawmakers came one vote shy of passing online sports betting during the session, though confusion over reworked legislation and concerns over collegiate betting killed the effort just when it seemed to be at the finish line. There's been no political movement to legalize sports gambling in North Dakota, but state tribes have already opened retail sportsbooks under authority granted to them by the federal government, a similar legal path for the sports betting launch in New Mexico.
This too means retail only, but North Dakota is among a rare group of states that can take bets without an act of the legislature. Ohio is another sports-crazy state that's behind in legalizing sports gambling, especially given the action in many of its Midwestern neighbors.
But late in , Ohio legislators passed an online sports betting bill and Gov. Mike DeWine approved it. Some had hoped betting would start in time for the NFL season, but in May regulators announced all forms of betting will go live Jan. More than a dozen sportsbooks launched on New Year's Day and more than a dozen more could join the fold in the coming year.
Ohio sets up to be one of the biggest and most competitive sports betting markets in the country, which is great news for bettors. Thanks to a limited exemption in the federal sports betting ban that allowed it to offer parlay cards, Oregon officials determined the state lottery could begin taking bets without a separate act of the legislature.
The state lottery app took its first bet in , but with only one legal mobile wagering option, it has not been able to match competitive markets. In January of , Oregon switched from its own lottery app to DraftKings as its sole operator. A handful of Native American casinos operate retail sportsbooks.
Pennsylvania was among a handful of states to accept a legal retail sports bet in and, beginning with its digital launch, has been among the biggest markets in the country. Pennsylvania consistently pulls in among the top five largest sports betting handles, despite higher taxes and fees than some other states. The fees, and a limit of only 14 total operator licenses, could continue to hinder Pennsylvania's potential, but it's large population and high-profile sports teams will help it maintain some of the nation's highest-grossing handle totals.
Pennsylvania is also one of five states with online casinos , generating massive revenue for operators. Rhode Island has been offering legal sports betting since when retail sportsbooks opened at its two commercial casinos. William Hill now owned by Caesars is the only legal retail and online sportsbook in the state.
Lawmakers repealed an in-person mobile registration requirement, but the small population and lone legal option keep revenues small, despite Rhode Island's proximity to Massachusetts. South Dakota legalized sports betting in November as part of a ballot initiative and lawmakers passed retail-only authorization for Deadwood casinos and certain tribal gaming facilities.
The state constitution only permits wagering within Deadwood and tribal lands, but some policymakers believe statewide mobile wagering can be approved as long as the servers are placed in Deadwood. Legislation to do so gained little traction in or in , but could open an interesting new digital market in the years to come. Since it has no casinos, Tennessee is the only state with online-only sports betting.
The conservative state's unlikely launch of an uncapped, digital sports betting market excited industry stakeholders, but other restrictions could hurt its potential. But in April , TN passed a bill that removed this rule and replaced it with a 1.
It's the first rule of its kind in the U. Matthew Birong introduced a new sports betting bill in February of that would allow online sportsbooks in Vermont. In late April, a Senate committee approved it, and the full senate approved it in early May, sending it to Gov. Phil Scott's desk. He signed it on June Vermont will undergo a competitive bidding process, much like New York, where operators will submit their plan and what tax rate they'd be willing to pay to get licensed.
They also did something similar in Massachusetts and Connecticut, though those tax rates ended up much lower. That resulted in just three sportsbooks entering the market on Jan. Virginia took its first online sports bet in January and is now home to over a dozen operators. The state's lagged behind some of its neighbors in handle and tax revenue, despite its close proximity to Maryland and Washington D.
In an effort to change lawmakers worked a clause into the budget that phases out promo tax deductions for operators after months in the market. Washington legalized sports betting on March 25, and took its first bet Sept. Only certain tribal casinos can take bets. Mobile sports betting, like Mississippi, will only be allowed if it is placed within a casino facility, a huge deterrent to the state's revenue potential.
Statewide mobile betting doesn't seem like a reality anytime soon. The bad news. The good news is that FanDuel Sportsbook is now live, as of April 15, The lone legal District-wide mobile app, GamBetDC, was run by the lottery and, partially because it has no legal competition, has offered lines worse than market averages. The app is geofenced out of any federal properties, a major problem in the nation's capital.
That has allowed the city's first retail sportsbook, a full sportsbook bar and restaurant in Capital One Arena. Caesars allows mobile wagering only within the stadium. Under its former brand-name—William Hill—the retail book opened July 31, as a makeshift sportsbook in the arena's box office.
Its retail sportsbook opened Feb. Its mobile app too, is available within a two-block radius of its retail location near Nats Park. Another entrant, Handle 19, is readying to enter the marketplace with a retail location. Overall, D. Mobile betting had some initial hiccups in West Virginia, but it's been fully live since August It will never rival some of the larger markets, but bettors at least have several legal options to place a bet from anywhere within the state.
The Oneida Nation and Gov. Tony Evers announced a deal In July that permits the tribe to open retail sportsbooks at its casinos. The deal does not permit statewide mobile betting or wagering on in-state college sports, and there's no timetable for online betting. Following federal approval in August , the tribe to launched sports betting at its Green Bay casino in November Lawmakers surprisingly approved statewide mobile wagering, becoming just the second state to allow online betting without any retail sportsbooks.
The first two online sportsbooks took bets beginning Sept. Meanwhile, the Northern Arapaho Tribe appears it may add retail sports betting under the authority of existing law, much in the way tribes in New Mexico are operating sports betting without any legislation. HB , another sports betting bill, will be discussed last month, as well.
Passing such a bill remains a difficult task in a state with strong gaming aversions, but it's nice to see progress. Alabama is one of the few remaining states without a lottery, but there's some appetite from at least a few lawmakers on all gambling fronts — sports betting, casinos and lottery.
The bill doesn't have specific language about the number of sports betting licenses, but it would separate retail from online licenses. The biggest hurdle is still the Poarch Band of Creek Indians PCI , the key gaming stakeholder in Alabama, and changes could be required to the bill to get the group on board.
Alabama Rep. Andy Whitt tells me his committee will pass Alabama sports betting, casino and lottery legislation today. Georgia had some hope for legal sports betting, but a bill died in the final day of the legislative session without being discussed. It's a frustrating ending, and an identical one to how legal sports betting hopes died in Georgia in both and Sports betting bills have gotten past the Georgia Senate several times in the last few years, but no bill has ever passed through the House.
The bill needs approval from at least two-thirds of the House to move forward, since it now includes a constitutional amendment after the Senate changed that on Feb. Minnesota came extremely close to legalizing sports betting in and lawmakers took it up again in , but fell short once again.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are back in with a pair of bills. Tim Walz is confident something can get done this year. The state's tribes, which hold a significant lobbying presence in the statehouse, have for years opposed any legislation that wouldn't give them a monopoly on sports betting. It's a hurdle, but lawmakers believe they can get something done.
An amendment to a Minnesota sports betting bill in March that would ban live betting could cause problems, as well. Matt Klein said. Senator Miller's bill was a serious effort at finding a solution this year, and we're hearing that from all interested parties — the tracks, the tribes — people want to get this done and they want to get it done this session.
Missouri lawmakers introduced two new bills in early January, and a ballot measure could be added to the ballot in November if things can't be worked out by lawmakers. Missouri had two new sports betting bills in and there was a desire to get something done after nearly getting things across the finish line in It now moves to a full House vote.
But the past two years, promising sports betting bills have gotten through the House then died in the Senate. HB would allow for double-digit sports betting licenses — three skins to each casino and one to each pro sports team in the state. At one point Missouri looked like the surest bet to pass a sports betting bill in , as lawmakers openly competed with their counterparts in Kansas to get there first.
The House managed to pass a bill that would have authorized up to 39 sportsbooks, but it fell apart somewhat unexpectedly in the Senate and never recovered despite a last-minute push. There's a variety of statuses here — some states, like Idaho and Utah, will likely never have legal sports betting.
Others like California and Oklahoma have complex situations with tribes, which control much of the gaming in those states. Alaska is pretty much nowhere on sports gambling. The 49th state might actually be the 49th to legalize it, if ever. The election featured two different ballot proposals to legalize sports betting in California, and both fell way short — historically short, in fact.
One was backed by DraftKings and FanDuel to legalize online betting, and the state's tribes lobbied hard against it.
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