Since the Supreme Court of the United States removed the federal ban on sports betting in 2018, online sports betting has become allowed in the United States. More than half of the country has legalised sports betting, with 15 of these states allowing online sportsbooks to operate.
In 2018, New Jersey became the first state to legalise sports betting, followed by Indiana in 2019. Every year, though, new states are green-lighting online sports betting.
Here’s a simple state-by-state guide to the current legal betting status for each of the fifty US states. Many other U.S states are pending launch or are still going through the various legal procedures involved.
- 12 states now (or soon will) have both in-person & online betting are available
- 5 states have sportsbooks which are only allowed inside casinos
- 3 states allow online and mobile sports betting only
Legal Online Sports Betting in the United States
- Alabama – Needs a law to be approved by both the legislature and the voting public. Projected for 2021.
- Alaska – Very much in limbo on sports gambling. May be one of the last states to legalize it.
- Arizona – Under consideration by legislature.
- Arkansas – FULL LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
- California – Projected for 2021
- Colorado – LEGAL BUT PENDING. Legalized via referendum in 2019 for 2020 launch
- Connecticut – Under consideration by legislature. Held up by tribal conflicts so far.
- Delaware – FULL LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
- Florida – Under consideration by legislature.
- Georgia – Under consideration. Polls say voters in favour but not likely to happen anytime soon.
- Hawaii – NO LEGAL BETTING. No movement. Just one of two states with no gambling of any kind.
- Idaho – No movement. Laws currently against gambling (except for horse racing) or fantasy sports.
- Illinois – FULL LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
- Indiana – FULL LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
- Iowa – FULL LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
- Kansas – Under consideration by legislature.
- Kentucky – Under consideration by legislature.
- Louisiana – Governor approved sports betting ballot. Residents to vote in November 2020
- Maine – Governor Janet Mills vetoed the bill in Jan ’20. Some forms of gambling are legal such as lottery.
- Maryland – On November ballot. Full legal online betting unlikely before 2021 NFL season.
- Massachusetts – Under consideration by legislature.
- Michigan – FULL LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
- Minnesota – Tribal conflicts. The 11 recognised tribes are opposed to the expansion of gaming.
- Mississippi – Partial mobile betting allowed. It’s legal to bet via mobile but only while inside a casino!
- Missouri – Under consideration by legislature.
- Montana – LEGAL BUT PENDING. Wagering is legal as of 2019, pending launch.
- Nebraska – Under consideration by legislature. Looks a longshot to be passed though.
- Nevada – FULL LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
- New Hampshire – FULL LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
- New Jersey – FULL LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
- New Mexico – No bill passed but tribes sportsbooks seen as legal under state tribal gaming contracts.
- New York – FULL LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
- North Carolina – No mobile betting. Legalized sports wagering in-person at two tribal casinos.
- North Dakota – No movement. Two sports betting bills died in 2019. Nothing positive expected soon.
- Ohio – Under consideration by legislature.
- Oklahoma – No movement but legalization could prove difficult due to tribe disputes.
- Oregon – FULL LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
- Pennsylvania – FULL LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
- Rhode Island – FULL LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
- South Carolina – No movement. Sports betting bills have been introduced but no support as yet.
- South Dakota – On November 2020 ballot. Now up to voters after House & Senate passed sports betting.
- Tennessee – Complicated. Legal but no betting as yet. Could be first state to offer online-only betting.
- Texas – No movement. 2019 sports betting bill went nowhere. No fantasy sports betting bill either.
- Utah – NO LEGAL BETTING. Anti-gambling stance is prevalent in Utah and is unlikely to change soon.
- Vermont – Under consideration by the legislature. Projected for 2021, possibly.
- Virginia – FULL LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
- Washington – Legal but no betting. Restricts mobile betting to within tribal casinos.
- West Virginia – FULL LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
- Wisconsin – Held up by tribal conflicts so far. Wisconsin’s constitution prohibits gambling.
- Wyoming – No movement. Only has 3 licensed casinos. Not likely to pass legalization any time soon.
Thomas Nielsen
Tom covers UFC, NFL and MLB for Vegas-odds.com. When he's not writing about sports, he's usually playing poker or betting on the spread. Contributor at GamblingIndustryNews.com and PokerIndustryNews.com
