Key Takeaways:
- In 2018, the Supreme Court nullified PASPA, the federal prohibition on sports wagering, granting each state the autonomy to decide on legalizing sports betting within its jurisdiction.
- Discover the current landscape of U.S. legal betting states and the future of sports betting legalization nationwide.
- Since 2018, almost every U.S. state legislature has contemplated a sports betting bill. Two-thirds of the states have legalized some form of sports betting, and nearly half permit mobile sports betting through smartphones or computers.
- Stay updated with the latest on sports betting legalization in the U.S., including the states that have embraced it and those on the verge of joining.
Legal Sports Betting
Over four years have elapsed since the Supreme Court nullified the federal prohibition on sports wagering, granting states the autonomy to legalize it.
So, what’s the current state of affairs? Which states have embraced it, and how are they faring? Which states are on the verge of joining, and which are lagging? We’ve assembled an exhaustive overview of all 50 states, including Washington D.C., complete with anticipated legalization timelines for each.
Almost every state has contemplated legalizing sports wagering, but entrenched political resistance and intricate tribal dynamics will likely deter more than a dozen from transitioning online for the foreseeable future.
In the early stages of U.S. sports wagering, FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM have emerged as the frontrunners, with some brands already ceasing operations after a mere few years. Then there’s Fanatics Sportsbook, poised to make a significant entry into the market in 2023.
Where is Online Sports Betting Legal in the U.S?
Online Sports Betting and Mobile betting is now legal in over 20 states with more to become legal this year!
Legal U.S. Betting States
Arizona (AZ), Arkansas (AR), Colorado (CO), Connecticut (CT), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS), Louisiana (LA), Maryland (MD), Massachusetts (MA), Michigan (MI), Mississippi (MS), Nevada (NV), New Hampshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY), Ohio (OH), Oregon (OR), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode Island(RI), Tennessee (TN), Virginia (VA), Washington (DC), West Virginia (WV), Wyoming (WY)
Legal Sports Betting States
While there are a number of states in the US where betting is now legal, there are still a significant amount of states in which betting is still illegal, the laws are constantly changing at the moment however we have compiled a full and comprehensive list of all states and their status on legal sports betting.
| State | Legal Sports Betting | Online Sports Betting |
| Alabama (AL) | No | No |
| Alaska (AK) | No | No |
| Arizona (AZ) | Yes | Yes |
| Arkansas (AR) | Yes | Yes |
| California (CA) | No | No |
| Colorado (CO) | Yes | Yes |
| Connecticut (CT) | Yes | Yes |
| Delaware (DE) | Yes | No |
| District of Columbia (DC) | Yes | Yes |
| Florida (FL) | No | No |
| Georgia (GA) | No | No |
| Hawaii (HI) | No | No |
| Idaho (ID) | No | No |
| Illinois (IL) | Yes | Yes |
| Indiana (IN) | Yes | Yes |
| Iowa (IA) | Yes | Yes |
| Kansas (KS) | Yes | Yes |
| Kentucky (KY) | Pending | Pending |
| Louisiana (LA) | Yes | Yes |
| Maine (ME) | Pending | Pending |
| Maryland (MD) | Yes | Yes |
| Massachusetts (MA) | Yes | Yes |
| Michigan (MI) | Yes | Yes |
| Minnesota (MN) | No | No |
| Mississippi (MS) | Yes** | Yes** |
| Missouri (MO) | No | No |
| Montana (MT) | Yes | No |
| Nebraska (NE) | Pending | No |
| Nevada (NV) | Yes | Yes |
| New Hampshire (NH) | Yes | Yes |
| New Jersey (NJ) | Yes | Yes |
| New Mexico (NM) | Yes | No |
| New York (NY) | Yes | Yes |
| North Carolina (NC) | Yes | Pending |
| North Dakota (ND) | Yes | No |
| Ohio (OH) | Yes | Yes |
| Oklahoma (OK) | No | No |
| Oregon (OR) | Yes | Yes |
| Pennsylvania (PA) | Yes | Yes |
| Rhode Island (RI) | Yes | Yes |
| South Carolina (SC) | No | No |
| South Dakota (SD) | Yes** | Yes** |
| Tennessee (TN) | Yes | Yes |
| Texas (TX) | No | No |
| Utah (UT) | No | No |
| Vermont (VT) | No | Pending |
| Virginia (VA) | Yes | Yes |
| Washington (WA) | Yes | Yes |
| West Virginia (WV) | Yes | Yes |
| Wisconsin (WI) | Yes | No |
| Wyoming (WY) | Yes | Yes |
Legal Sports Betting States Info
Arizona Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is sports betting legal in Arizona? The state of Arizona has been a popular destination for gamblers since its inception. In 2019, people were able to legally place bets online and have been going strong ever since!
Arkansas Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is Arkansas sports betting legal? It is now legal to place bets online within the state of Arkansas however at this point in time they only have one sportsbook available within the state.
Colorado Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is sports betting legal in Colorado? Colorado legalized online sports betting in May 2020 and have made leaps and bounds in the industry ever since with an abundance of online sportsbooks now available in the state.
Connecticut Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is Connecticut sports betting legal? Online sports betting became legal in the state of Connecticut in 2021, though the choices are somewhat limited, they are some of the best in the sports betting industry.
Delaware Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? No
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is Delaware sports betting legal? Sports betting is legal in the state of Delaware and has been legal since its inception in June 2018.
Illinois Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is sports betting legal in Illinois? Online sports betting became legal in the state of Illinois in June 2018, due to it being one of the first states to legalize sports betting it has a range of different online sportsbooks available.
Indiana Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is Indiana sports betting legal? Indiana began accepting online sports wagers in October 2019, since then a number of online sports betting operators have opened their doors to bettors within the state.
Iowa Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is Iowa sports betting legal? Both online and in-person gambling became legal in Iowa in August 2019, The state of Iowa has most major operators available within its borders.
Kansas Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is Kansas sports betting legal? Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed sports betting legislation into law On May 12, 2022, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly made sports betting legal by signing sports betting legislation into law.
Louisiana Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is Louisiana sports betting legal? Louisiana officially began accepting online bets in January 2022, prior to this customers were only allowed to place bets in-person.
Maryland Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is sports betting legal in Maryland? Sports betting has been legal in Maryland since April 2021, currently, you are also allowed to place online bets within the state borders.
Massachusetts Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is sports betting legal in Massachusetts? Online sports betting became legal in the state of Massachusetts on March 10, 2023, allowing people to place bets online within the state borders.
Michigan Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is sports betting legal in Michigan? Sports enthusiasts have been able to place online sports bets since March 2020.
Mississippi Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes**
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is sports betting legal in Mississippi? Online sports betting is legal in the state of Mississippi, however, under current laws, customers are only allowed to place bets while inside a licensed casino.
Montana Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes**
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is Montana sports betting legal? Online sports betting became available in the state of Montana in March 2020, however, you may only place a bet within a retail betting location. You can do everything else online or on mobile however cannot place bets until you are in a legal location.
Nevada Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is Nevada online sports betting legal? Nevada originally legalized sports betting way back in 1949 alongside horse racing and other track betting, and have since legalized online sports betting to claim the title of the betting state.
New Hampshire Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is New Hampshire Sports Betting Legal? Online and retail sports betting are legal within the state lines of New Hampshire.
New Jersey Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is sports betting in New Jersey legal? The state of New Jersey legalized sports betting in June 2018, online sports bets were able to be placed from July 2018.
New York Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is sports betting legal in New York? Online sports betting launched in New York in January 2022, initially there were only 4 online sports betting options available; however, since then the number has grown significantly.
New Mexico Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? No
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is sports betting legal in New Mexico? Sports betting is currently only allowed within tribal casinos within the state of New Mexico.
Ohio Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is sports betting legal in Ohio? On the 1st of January 2023 the state of Ohio legalized sports betting within the state paving the way for sportsbooks to allow betting from their websites.
Oregon Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is Oregon sports betting legal? sports betting has been legal in the state of Oregon since 1989. originally you were only able to bet online through the state-run sportsbook, however, times are changing.
Pennsylvania Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is Sports betting legal in Pennsylvania? Pennsylvania online sports betting became legal in May 2019. In order to legally bet on sports in the state of Pennsylvania, you must be 21 or older.
Rhode Island Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is sports betting legal in Rhode Island? Though online betting is available in the state of Rhode Island it is currently only available through the state-run lottery, technically online sportsbooks are available in Rhode Island, however, it is only the state-run lottery that is available.
Tennessee Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? No
Is sports betting legal in Tennessee? Tennessee approved a sports betting bill in the spring of 2019 that allowed betting online and on mobile apps. officially Tennessee customers were able to place bets on their favorite sports in November 2020. Oddly the state has chosen to only allow online sports betting and there are no retail betting locations within the state.
Virginia Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is sports betting legal in Virginia? Virginian fans of sports and sports betting were officially allowed to place online sporting bets from January 2021.
District of Columbia Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is DC sports betting legal? It is still currently illegal to place bets in Washington however in the District of Columbia it is now legal to place bets both online and in a retail sports betting location.
West Virginia Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is sports betting legal in West Virginia? In-person sports betting and online sports betting are both legal in the state of West Virginia, you must be at least 18 years of age to place online wagers in West Virginia.
Wyoming Sports Betting
- Online Sportsbooks available? Yes
- In-Person Betting available? Yes
Is sports betting legal in Wyoming? Online sports betting became legal in Wyoming on the 6th of April 2021, since its inception, sports betting enthusiasts in the state of Wyoming have eagerly jumped on board and begun placing bets online.
LEGAL STATES FAQs
32 states – 32 states and the District of Columbia now have “Live, Legal” gaming legislation, which permits single-game sports betting to be offered through legal brick-and-mortar and/or online and mobile sportsbooks.
Currently, there are 27 different states which allow you to bet legally online, while betting is legal in more states you will have to bet in a retail setting instead of online.
The following states do not allow sports betting and it is currently illegal to place sports bets within the state boundaries: Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Vermont.
The most protected sports betting sites on the internet are those operated by legitimate and regulated operators. DraftKings and FanDuel are two excellent examples of businesses that have received authorisation to operate in numerous states.
A virtual private network (VPN) can be a fantastic way to get around geo-restrictions where online sports betting is still prohibited. Simply connect to a different US server and you’ll be good to go. We propose trying ExpressVPN, which has over 1970 US servers in 15 cities across the United States.
Professional leagues strongly believed that gambling would be detrimental to the integrity of their games. This resulted in the PASPA, which was a federal ban on sports gambling despite most states already having such laws in place.