Sports betting legal states
Sports betting has become an increasingly popular segment of online gambling in recent years, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling that opened the door to state-by-state legalization. While more than half of all states allow sports betting, it is still illegal in many parts of the country.
As of 2018, nearly 30 states have legalized sports betting, including 21 that allow online betting. We’ll outline which states are open to sports betting below, as well as updates on states considering legalization. Additionally, we will discuss nationwide efforts to introduce bills to expedite the legislative process.
2018 US Supreme Court’s Role in Allowing Sports Betting
In May 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door to the expansion of sports gambling by ruling in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association. The judges declared the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) unconstitutional. PASPA prohibited states from legalizing gambling on professional and college sports.
Congress enacted a 1992 law to curb the spread of sports betting outside of Nevada, citing the potential for money laundering schemes and other nefarious activities.
PASPA, which went into effect in 1992, was enacted to prevent the spread of sports betting in states that were valued at that time. Effectively, Nevada was handed a national monopoly on single-game wagering.
The Supreme Court ruled that individual states should have the right to regulate sports betting. This led to several states jumping into this potentially lucrative space with some clear regulatory differences. Here’s a look at how different states have approached sports betting after the Supreme Court decision.
Where Is Sports Betting Legal?
| State | Online | In-Person |
| Alabama | X | X |
| Alaska | X | X |
| Arizona | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arkansas | ✓ | ✓ |
| California | X | X |
| Colorado | ✓ | ✓ |
| Connecticut | ✓ | ✓ |
| Delaware | X | ✓ |
| Florida | X | X |
| Georgia | X | X |
| Hawaii | X | X |
| Idaho | X | X |
| Illinois | ✓ | ✓ |
| Indiana | ✓ | ✓ |
| Iowa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Kansas | Pending | Pending |
| Kentucky | X | X |
| Louisiana | ✓ | ✓ |
| Maine | X | X |
| Maryland | Pending | ✓ |
| Massachusetts | X | X |
| Michigan | ✓ | ✓ |
| Minnesota | X | X |
| Mississippi | X | ✓ |
| Missouri | X | X |
| Montana | X | ✓ |
| Nebraska | X | Pending |
| Nevada | ✓ | ✓ |
| New Hampshire | ✓ | ✓ |
| New Jersey | ✓ | ✓ |
| New Mexico | X | ✓ |
| New York | ✓ | ✓ |
| North Carolina | X | ✓ |
| North Dakota | X | ✓ |
| Ohio | Pending | Pending |
| Oklahoma | X | X |
| Oregon | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pennsylvania | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rhode Island | ✓ | ✓ |
| South Carolina | X | X |
| South Dakota | X | ✓ |
| Tennessee | ✓ | X |
| Texas | X | X |
| Utah | X | X |
| Vermont | X | X |
| Virginia | ✓ | ✓ |
| Washington | X | ✓ |
| Washington D.C. | ✓ | ✓ |
| West Virginia | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wisconsin | X | ✓ |
| Wyoming | ✓ | X |
States where online betting is legal.
Arizona
The state legalized sports betting in April 2021. Since then Arizona has become one of the fastest-growing states for online betting. The state also became the first in the U.S. to have in-stadium sports books. Sportsbooks launched on the first day of the NFL season in September 2021. Since then, Arizona has been among the top ten states in terms of money wagered each year.
Arkansas
Arkansas is relatively new to the sports betting scene, as it became legal in February 2022. Initially, sports betting was limited to only three brick-and-mortar casinos, but the state Legislature pushed for full regulation in the spring of 2022. The rules allow up to eight online sportsbooks to operate within a state.
Colorado
Colorado was one of the first states to adopt a fully regulated sports betting industry in May 2020. Colorado has always been viewed by evaluators as a state that is well-suited for the industry due to the presence of several major universities and popular sports franchises. Like the Denver Broncos and Denver Nuggets.
Connecticut
Connecticut has quietly become a hotbed for expanding sports betting in recent years, largely due to tribal gaming ambitions and a number of large freestanding casinos, such as Foxwoods. Betting on sports is legal in the state from October 2021.
Illinois
Illinois has become one of the leading states in sports betting due to its large population and Chicago’s reputation in the sports world. With major franchises such as the Bulls, Bears, and Blackhawks, many residents were eager to begin placing legal sports bets within state lines. Sports betting was legalized in March 2020, and the state has since become a top-five sport betting market.
Indiana
Indiana’s sports betting scene has proven to be one of the strongest in the Upper Midwest. As of this writing, Indiana has the fifth-highest wagering revenue in the U.S., largely a result of its swift move to adopt a regulated model of sports betting. There are currently 13 sportsbooks operating in Indiana. The state has been live for online betting since October 2019, just five months after the first bill was passed by the Indiana Legislature.
Iowa
Iowa was among the first states to pass legislation to enable regulated online sports betting in August 2019. Since then it has become one of the top 5 states in per capita handles.
Nevada
Nevada is considered the gambling capital of the United States, and this extends directly to sports betting. Sports betting has been taking place in Silver State for decades. While other states have an easy process to start betting via mobile, Nevada requires in-person registration at a casino to get started. That has deterred some bettors from getting in on the action, and some in the industry have called for regulatory change.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire has only one operator for mobile betting in the state in the form of DraftKings. The state allowed mobile betting in December 2019.
New Jersey
New Jersey, which was charged with overturning PASPA, quickly surpassed Nevada in sports betting handles on a monthly basis (before New York took the field). This is not surprising given the regulatory restrictions in Nevada and Atlantic City’s longstanding presence in New Jersey. There are currently 21 mobile wagering options for residents.
New York
New York is one of the most recent states to legalize and regulate sports betting, with operators opening within the state in January 2022. Due to New York’s large population, the presence of a large number of tribal casinos, and the appeal of major sports franchises such as the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, it holds a significant position at the top of the monthly candle chart. New York has seen its industry handle more than $1 billion per month since its inception.
Ohio
The state legislature approved sports betting in Buckeye State in 2021, allowing the door to open for regulated sports betting on January 1, 2023. Ohio lagged behind the others, but the state finally passed online sports betting bill that would make it one of the largest sports bettors. The biggest markets. While online sportsbooks will launch a few months after the initial target date for the opening kickoff of the NFL season, fans of the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals will be betting sooner.
Oregon
Oregon has had a tough time fully immersing itself in the sports betting industry since allowing operators in 2019. As of now, DraftKings is the only mobile wagering operator in the state, and there isn’t much hope for future expansion. Oregon does not allow in-state college betting.
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania market is huge with the presence of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh sports franchises. The state began legislating retail sports betting in the summer of 2018 and opened the door to mobile betting in 2019. Since then, it has become one of the highest-grossing in-state sports betting operations in the United States.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island is home to the eighth-smallest population of any state, which limits long-term sports betting expansion. The only mobile wagering operator in Rhode Island is William Hill, owned by Caesars Entertainment. Betting once required in-person registration, but the state’s regulatory body scrapped the move. The retail sportsbook has been serving Rhode Island residents since 2018.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a truly unique situation when it comes to the American sports betting industry. It is the only state without a retail sportsbook. While only online wagering is available for residents. In 2019, Tennessee legalized sports betting.
Virginia
Virginia launched its first betting initiative in January 2021. There are seven operators, including industry giants such as BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Virginia law sets a limit of a final total of 11 operators, so four more could eventually be added.
West Virginia
West Virginia is a secretive hotbed for all forms of online gambling, with the state pushing to legalize and regulate both mobile sports betting and online poker. Despite its small population and lack of pro sports teams, some prominent operators operate in the state, including DraftKings and FanDuel.
Wyoming
The nation’s least populous state has surprisingly worked to legalize sports betting over the past two years, with the first mobile wagers due in September 2021.
In-Person-Only Sports Betting States
Delaware
Delaware was once a promising location for sports books, given the state legislature’s swift actions after Paspa’s ruling. In fact, Delaware was the second US state to open a retail sportsbook in June 2018. Because Delaware’s sports betting measures are directly tied to the state lottery, mobile betting is not legal.
Maryland
As of the summer of 2022, Maryland was at a legislative impasse to allow mobile operators in the state, despite residents voting to approve online betting in November 2020. will create more challenges for the market. Maryland has the potential to become a lucrative market with 60 online sportsbooks and more than 30 brick-and-mortar betting locations permitted by law.
Mississippi
Mississippi has an incredibly strong sports betting scene active within its borders, but it will always be limited as long as mobile betting is banned. The first retail sportsbooks began operating in August 2018. There is a loophole for online sports betting that could potentially be exploited in the future. People in the state can physically place mobile bets inside casinos. Mississippi is unlikely to fully implement mobile wagering in the near future.
North Carolina
North Carolina enabled retail sports betting in July 2019, although it is limited to two separate tribal casinos on the western side of the state. These brick-and-mortar casinos in the state first began accepting bets in March 2021. Potential legislation to allow online betting could be resolved as early as the fall of 2022, but it is more likely that the issue will be tabled until 2023.
South Dakota
South Dakota opened its first brick-and-mortar casino sportsbooks in September 2021 after legalization in November 2020.
Potential Upcoming Sports Betting States
California
A number of ballot proposals to legalize sports betting have been introduced over the past few years, with voters readying their chance to initiate change.
There are two proposals on the table, one for online betting backed by the likes of FanDuel and DraftKings and an in-person bill backed only by the California Tribe. Californians will vote in the fall of 2022, though many observers say competing referendums are long shots.
Florida
Florida is a largely untapped market for most forms of gambling, especially online platforms. The state only made provisions to close in 2021 for two months before a federal judge put the situation on hold because of an agreement between the Seminole tribe and the state. An appeal was made but no decision was made.
Kansas
Kansas legalized sports betting in May 2022 allowing 12 mobile sportsbooks. Additionally, the state allows wagering at four separate brick-and-mortar casinos. Kansas could begin taking its first sports bets in the fall of 2022.
Maine
In April 2022, Maine approved a bill to allow the four largest tribal councils to partner with major operators to conduct in-person betting. The bill does not allow online betting.
Nebraska
Nebraska is one of the most interesting cases among all the potential states considering implementing a full-scale sports betting movement. Three constitutional amendments approved by voters in November 2021 have been approved to enable Nebraska to enter the industry. With these approvals, it appears that full legalization of sports betting in Nebraska is on the horizon.
Types of legal sports betting
Although states vary in their approach to sports betting, most have approved all of the staples of a Las Vegas-style sportsbook.
Single game
Single-game bets are the most common type of bet taken at all sportsbooks. These types of bets are limited to one game, unlike parlays and other betting markets that span multiple games.
Money lines, spread bets, and total bets are the single-game betting divisions that generate the most hands each year. A money line bet is a bet on a team or athlete to win a sporting event outright. Spread bets provide odds on one side or multiple sides of an event that is usually close to even plus odds. Total bets are bets that deal with the final score or outcome going up or down the betting line.
Parlay
Parlies are the type of bet on which sportsbooks make the most money because the bet has the least chance of winning. Parlies are divided into individual “legs” that can include any number of individual bets. Due to the low probability of winning, the odds are usually quite long and can provide large payouts. This is the allure that draws sports bettors to these long-term losing plays.
An example of a parlay would be a three-money-line parlay where individual teams are selected to win outright. A three-leg parlay of -110 money line picks will turn into a +595 odds play as opposed to placing all three picks as a straight bet.
Props
Props come in all different types of formats, but the most common are player props. Bettors can place bets on overs and unders for individual player statistics such as strikeouts, rebounds, and goals. These are the most common types of bets in the world of sports betting.
Props aren’t limited to the player market either. They can be extended to team props and game props. Generally, these are bets that are not directly linked to the final outcome of the game in terms of its score.
Live
Live or in-play betting has become extremely popular in the world of online sports betting. All forms of straight bets and parlies can be found on live betting formats so bettors can place bets in between games.
Prior to the creation of live betting, bets were limited to being placed before games and at selected sportsbooks, some bets could be placed at half-time. Now, bets can be placed at any moment in time during a sporting event.
Futures
Futures are bets that can be placed on upcoming events, including championship results and player awards. Some of the more common types of futures bets include betting on the winner of league Most Valuable Player awards and the winning team of events such as the World Series, Super Bowl, and NBA Finals.
These bets are usually placed before a season, but they can be placed throughout the season. The odds will change as the season progresses.
