50 State Sports Betting Guide
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50 State Sports Betting Guide
The legal U.S. sports betting landscape is a convoluted mess, and making sense of a sports betting map requires time and patience.
By answering the following three questions, you can determine where each state stands on the sports betting front:
- Has it legalized sports betting?
- Did it legalize retail betting, mobile sports betting, or both?
- Has the industry launched?
From there, things get a bit more complicated, with sports betting rules ranging from bet types allowed to age to place legal wagers varying by state. Below is a brief summary of sports betting in all 50 states. We recommend visiting our state-specific pages for a more comprehensive view of a state’s sports betting law and market.
Alabama – Sports betting is not legal in Alabama. There is no active, meaningful legislation.
Alaska – Sports betting is not legal in Alaska. There is no active, meaningful legislation.
Arizona – Launched in 2021, Arizona is home to numerous retail sportsbooks and mobile sports betting apps.
Arkansas – Arkansas possesses retail and online sportsbooks, but the structure of the Arkansas online sports betting rules has kept the big names out of the market.
California – Sports betting is not legal in California. In 2022, two separate referendums were overwhelmingly rejected by California voters.
Colorado – Colorado has one of the country’s best-performing mobile sports betting markets. Its retail sportsbooks are located at Colorado casinos, all in sparsely populated areas of the state.
Connecticut – Connecticut has three mobile sports betting apps operated by the two tribal casinos and the state lottery. Retail locations can be found at casinos and lottery-run kiosks throughout the state.
Delaware – Delaware was one of the first states to go live following the repeal of PASPA, but the Blue Hen State has yet to authorize mobile betting.
Florida – Florida passed legislation legalizing retail and mobile betting via tribal operators, but a subsequent lawsuit has put its sports betting plans on hold.
Georgia – Sports betting is not legal in Georgia. Serious legislative efforts to change that status were undertaken in 2022 and 2023.
Hawaii – Sports betting is not legal in Hawaii. There is no active, meaningful legislation.
Idaho – Sports betting is not legal in Idaho. There is no active, meaningful legislation.
Illinois – Illinois offers legal retail and online sports betting. The state has a unique policy that requires bets on in-state colleges to be placed in person.
Indiana – Mobile and retail betting options are available in Indiana.
Iowa – The Buckeye State possesses retail sportsbooks and mobile sports betting apps.
Kansas – Kansas legalized retail and mobile betting in May 2022. The state was able to open retail books and launch mobile apps in less than four months without issue.
Kentucky – Kentucky was one of three states to legalize mobile sports betting in 2023. The Bluegrass State expects retail betting to be up and running around the start of the NFL season, with a mobile launch slated for early 2024.
Louisiana – Louisiana casinos offer retail sports betting, and mobile betting is available in 55 of 64 Lousiana parishes following parish-wide referendums in 2020.
Maine – Maine legalized sports betting in 2022, but an overloaded and scandal-plagued regulatory body has led to a very cautious launch timeline.
Maryland – Maryland is one of the best-performing sports betting markets in the country due to an open market with up to 60 mobile betting licenses available and retail locations at casinos, stadiums, and OTB parlors.
Massachusetts – Massachusetts mobile betting went live in March 2023 and quickly became one of the best-performing markets in the country. Mobile betting is restricted to the state’s three casinos, but all the major players are part of the mobile betting market.
Michigan – One of the most gaming-friendly states, Michigan has a dozen retail betting locations at commercial and tribal casinos and 15 mobile betting apps to choose from.
Minnesota – Sports betting is not legal in Minnesota. The state is a leading candidate to legalize mobile and retail betting in the coming years.
Mississippi – Mississippi is a retail-only state, although mobile betting is available on-property at licensed Mississippi casinos.
Missouri – Sports betting is not legal in Missouri. The state is a strong candidate to legalize mobile and retail betting in the coming years, but thus far, efforts have been thwarted by lawmakers pushing for VLT legalization.
Montana – Montana has hundreds of retail betting locations, as the state’s sports betting law permits lottery retailers to offer sports betting. Sports Bet Montana does have a mobile app that allows customers to manage their accounts, but bets can only be placed on-site at a licensed sports betting location.
Nebraska – Nebraska legalized retail sports betting in May 2021 but didn’t see its first sportsbook open until June 2023.
Nevada – As the world’s gambling capital, Nevada has numerous sportsbooks and mobile apps to choose from. However, the state’s in-person registration requirement for mobile betting is less than ideal for bettors.
New Hampshire – New Hampshire’s mobile and retail betting industry is run through the state lottery. Bettors will be familiar with the lone online operator, DraftKings.
New Jersey – The Garden State brought legal sports betting to the U.S. through its PASPA lawsuit, and its industry is propped-up as the model for legal sports betting. New Jersey has statewide mobile betting and retail betting options at Atlantic City casinos.
New Mexico – Due to the wording of the state’s gaming compacts with tribes, New Mexico tribes were able to offer retail sports betting at their casinos without New Mexico passing sports betting legislation.
New York – New York is another state that legalized retail betting and later added mobile betting.
North Carolina – North Carolina legalized retail betting in 2019 and finished the job in 2023, with the legislature legalizing statewide mobile sports betting.
North Dakota – Retail betting is available at several tribal casinos in North Dakota.
Ohio – Ohio is a vibrant sports betting market with more than a dozen mobile sports betting apps to choose from and retail betting locations, including bars and restaurants.
Oklahoma – Sports betting is not legal in Oklahoma. The state is exploring a variety of paths to legal sports betting.
Oregon – the state lottery runs Oregon’s sports betting industry. The only mobile app available to Oregonians is DraftKings. Retail betting locations are offered by the Lottery and through tribal operators.
Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania is one of the largest sports betting states, boasting mobile and retail betting options.
Rhode Island – Rhode Island offers retail and mobile sports betting. However, only one sports betting app is run by the Lottery and offered through the state’s lone casino operator, Bally’s.
South Carolina – Sports betting is not legal in South Carolina. There is no active, meaningful legislation.
South Dakota – South Dakota offers retail betting locations at Deadwood and tribal casinos. On-property mobile betting is also available at Deadwood casinos.
Tennessee – Tennessee is one of two mobile-only states (Vermont is the other).
Texas – Sports betting is not legal in Texas. The Lone Star State got the sports betting ball rolling in 2023 with a bill to place a referendum on the ballot passing the House before failing in the Senate.
Utah – Sports betting is not legal in Utah. There is no active, meaningful legislation.
Vermont – Vermont legalized mobile sports betting in 2023, joining Tennessee as a mobile-betting-only state.
Virginia – Virginia offers legal sports betting at the state’s casinos and statewide mobile betting. Currently, 15 of the 18 mobile sports betting licenses available have been claimed, giving Virginians many options.
Washington – Washington State legalized sports betting in 2020, but betting is limited to retail locations at tribal casinos. The first tribal sportsbooks opened in September 2021.
Washington DC – Washington DC is another jurisdiction that handed the keys to its mobile sports betting industry to the Lottery. The Intralot monopoly in D.C. is one of the most heavily criticized, as the city-wide Intralot app is often beaten by the heavily restricted commercial apps offered near arenas.
West Virginia – West Virginia offers legal mobile betting apps and retail locations at the state’s casinos.
Wisconsin – Retail betting is available at some tribal casinos in the state.
Wyoming – Mobile sports betting is available in Wyoming. Wyoming only approved online sportsbooks, but the state’s tribal casinos can offer retail betting.
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