Legal Sports Gambling States
Online sports betting and other forms of wagering have been restricted for some time, with the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 preventing fans from placing bets on games. Some exemptions existed, but this mostly only favored Nevada and a few other states.
In 2018, the US Supreme Court ruled that this law was unconstitutional, paving the way for states to set their own rules on sports books. This means that, unlike many European countries, where laws are uniform across the territory, Americans living just a few miles from each other may be subject to very different laws on betting.
American States Where Online Sports Betting is Legal. Nevada and New Jersey were some of the first to take advantage of this, passing legislation almost immediately.
American States Where Online Sports Betting is Legal
- States legalizing sports betting in hopes of balancing their budgets might get a bump in revenue, but it is not a long-term solution to fix budget woes. States should rely on broad-based, low-rate taxes instead. Gambling can be part of that revenue picture—but states shouldn’t bet the house on it.
- Where Is Sports Betting Considered Legal In The United States? Before May 2018, only one state had full-service state-regulated sports betting options, that state being Nevada. At this moment in time, the number of states offering legal domestic sports betting is 19.
- Sports betting has expanded rapidly since the ban was ruled unconstitutional in May 2018. Twenty-two states, Washington D.C. And Puerto Rico either take bets now or have passed laws to do so.
Nevada and New Jersey were some of the first to take advantage of this, passing legislation almost immediately. As of July 2020, there are 12 states that allow online sports betting in the country, although they each have different rules.
Legal Sports Betting United States
New Jersey
New Jersey offers the widest range of online sports betting with around 17 different licensed sports books. Online casinos are also legal, meaning New Jersey-ites can enjoy new slot games in 2020 as well as betting on a wide array of sports.
Nevada
Online sports betting is possible in Nevada, but you must first create your account while inside a physical casino first.
Indiana
Sports betting websites have been operating since 2019, with a broad selection of bookmakers to choose from. Users can sign up, deposit and place wagers from their computer or mobile device, but there are some restrictions on in-game betting.
Pennsylvania
Most major online bookmakers operate in Pennsylvania where online wagering has been allowed since 2019. The state is a big market since it has one of the biggest populations in the country and a high proportion of sports fans.
Colorado
First allowed in May 2020, sports fans in Colorado already have a good selection of sports books to choose from. It also has some of the most liberal rules surrounding sports betting, with online registration and depositing, no in-game restrictions and wagers on college teams allowed.
Illinois
Illinois passed legislation that allowed online sports betting in June 2019 but the first brands didn’t begin accepting registrations until Q1 of 2020. Existing physical casinos in the state have an 18-month head start over national online brands.
Iowa
After sports betting was permitted in May 2019, several sports books have begun operating in the state. However, until 2021 fans must visit a sports book or casino in-person to create their account.
Mississippi
Mississippi first legalized sports betting in 2018, but it requires bets to be placed inside a casino, even if the customer wants to use their smartphone.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire has allowed sports betting since July 2019 although wagering from a smartphone wasn’t permitted for another 5 months. Only a handful of brands operate in the state right now, but more are expected to open soon.
Oregon
Sports betting is allowed in Oregon but only through the state-operated Oregon Lottery.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island is the only state to allow betting at 18 instead of 21. However, like Oregon, it’s only permitted through the state lottery.
West Virginia
Sports betting in West Virginia has been legal since August 2019, with full online and mobile services allowed.
Which Will be the 13th State?
While there are still 38 states that don’t allow sports betting, it is expected that many more will pass legislation that will change this in the coming months and years. Some of these are expected to do so much quicker than others, including:
- Kentucky – A bill to legalize sports betting was blocked earlier in 2020, but commentators believe this to only be a temporary hurdle
- Ohio – In May 2020, the Ohio House Finance Committee voted to progress a bill that will legalize sports betting in the state. It was approved by the House the next day but still needs to be approved by the Senate.
- Connecticut – Like Kentucky, a bill had been progressing in early 2020 but it has been hit many hurdles.
- Maryland – A bill was approved by the Senate in early March 2020 but it’s not yet clear when it will be approved by the House.
- Missouri – The state of Missouri has been considering sports betting for some time, but there have been delays for it and other matters in recent months, meaning it’s not yet clear when it will pass.
Of these five, either Ohio or Maryland is likely to be the first to permit betting but these could still be derailed.
States with legal sports betting in USA
Ever since the United States supreme court ruled that sports betting is not illegal on a federal level in May of 2018, this event opened the doors for US states to pass their own laws on sports betting.
And did the doors open or what?
Well, there are now 25 states in America that have legal sports betting.
Many of these twenty-five states have also passed online sports betting regulations on sports gambling over mobile phones and the internet. Meanwhile, this remains the next step for other states not quite as far long in their process of passing online sports betting laws for people located inside the state.
Read through this DraftKings sportsbook post answering the question: Where is sports betting legal?
While it’s unlikely that all 50 states will adopt sports wagering (not all 50 have lottery systems), plenty more will enhance the pool in which they wet their budgetary beaks by allowing further expansion of gambling activities that can be regulated and, more importantly, taxed.
Quote source: Mike Florio from NBC Sports.2020 has been a major year for US online gambling expansion with legal sports betting regulations sweeping across America and online sports betting regulations are typically passed shortly after the sports gambling laws making it legal for bettors to wager on sports inside the state.
The future of mobile sports betting, daily fantasy sports, mobile and social online gambling sites is looking bright for the United States of America and its citizens and visitors who which to gamble virtually through the internet.
AD: bet365 is the world’s largest online sports betting site. Ages 21+. T&C’s apply. Bet Responsible.
Are legal online casinos up next in the US?
States With Sports Betting
While legal online sports betting is now available in 17+ states out of the 25 states with legal sports betting, unfortunately when it comes to online casinos, those have only been regulated in five states so far and most Americans continue to wager at internet / mobile casinos that are licensed offshore.
I’m forecasting the 2021 will become the year of The Great American Online Casino Boom.
Legal Sports Gambling States List
You can stay up to date on United States online gambling laws in the Gambling.org sports betting forums. There you’ll find post about US sportsbooks and new internet gambling mergers and acquisitions as they happen.