Where Can You Legally Bet On Sports?

Sports betting is permitted in some form or another in 37 of America’s 50 states. Thirteen states don’t let you bet on sports, and 12 of the 37 only let you bet in person at casinos. Some of these 12 sites let you bet on sports online, but only if you go to the casino that goes with the app. Only 24 of the 50 states in the US allow people to bet on sports online. Here are some of all the states where you can place wagers online from anywhere in that state:

Delaware

Delawareans can only bet on sports when they visit a sportsbook. That doesn’t mean it’s against the law in the state to bet online. It is okay. The problem is that there are no sports betting sites in the state right now, so this is not an option.

North Carolina

In this state, you can only bet on sports in person. There are three store bookies open at the moment. There is hope that a new bill being pushed via the state senate will let people bet online by 2023.

Mississippi

In Mississippi, it is allowed to bet on sports. Most casinos let you make bets, and the state has 28 sportsbooks where you can do so. In Mississippi, only people physically on a licensed casino site can bet on sports online. Because of this, the state only has two programs.

Wisconsin

This state does allow sports betting, but only after negotiating with local groups. This is different from how most states pass laws. So, Wisconsin lets people make bets at one tribe site. Soon, a second location will open in downtown Milwaukee. You can bet online, but you must make a ticket first.

South Dakota

You can bet in person at Deadwood casinos and casinos run by Native American tribes. Bets on sports can only be made online from inside the casinos in Deadwood.

North Dakota

Like its neighbor to the south, bets can only be made at native casinos. In contrast to its neighbor to the south, there is no way to bet online, no matter where you are in the state.

New Mexico

Due to agreements between the states and the tribes, sports betting is only allowed on the sites of local casinos. Outside of tribe lands, no law in the state lets people bet on sports.

Montana

Montana might have the most places to bet on sports of any state in the country. Every place that sells the state lottery also lets people bet on sports there on the spot. Also, that’s the sole means to bet on the Internet. You must be there in person at a licensed place.

Washington

In Washington, you can bet on sports in person at casinos run by groups recognized by the federal government. Technically, online betting is also allowed, but there is only one app out, and you have to be on tribe land to use it.

Vermont

Since sports betting is allowed in Massachusetts and New York, which are nearby, Vermont has been pressured to do the same. There is hope because a new bill has been introduced that sets aside money for sports betting. Officials hope the bill will be done by 2023.

Kentucky

In January 2023, a bill was introduced to legalize all kinds of sports betting. The current governor, Andy Beshear, said that the bill will be placed to a vote this year.

South Carolina

In the past three years, a plan to legalize sports betting has been introduced but hasn’t been passed. There isn’t much going on this coming year that could change the trend. There is no pressure from neighboring states, and there have been no signs that something bad is about to happen. If this were to shift, a new plan would have to be made.

Georgia

Georgia is not likely to happen soon. To make sports betting legal, the state’s law needs to be changed, and that was turned down in February 2023. There are ways to get within this, but all those plans have succeeded.

Alabama

Over the two years, the state assembly has not passed bills to legalize sports betting. It’s good that bills continue to be put forward, but the state senate is where these bills have gone to die, and there hasn’t been any progress there.

Missouri

As late as March 2023, there was the wish that this would be the year Missouri would create real improvement in legalizing sports betting. Bill HB556 is likely to be decided on at the next legislature sitting.

Minnesota

There is hope that a bill to legalize sports betting will pass the state senate. Before, the different groups in Minnesota have been against it, but that seems to be changing. Also, the party of the person who proposed the bill is now in charge of the chamber.

Texas

If sports betting were allowed, this would be one of the biggest prizes for casinos. There is a real push to get this done. Several bills have been put forwards, and Governor Greg Abbott has blessed them to become law. On May 29, the state assembly will meet again.

Oklahoma

With a bill moving through the state’s House floor, sports betting has moved forwards like never before in this state. The bill’s deadline is March 23, but there is still a big gap between the state’s governor and the current betting tribes, so most people think it will die.

Utah

Utah is not likely to legalize sports betting any time soon, and it is unlikely to ever do so. This is because it is directly stated in the state’s criminal code that it is banned now and in the future. If the federal government ever lets states decide whether to allow sports betting, Utah has already said in its criminal code that it will stay illegal.

Idaho

The state government has done nothing to move towards making sports betting legal. This could shift as four of its five neighbors legalize sports betting somehow, and it will keep losing business across its borders.

California

This is another big price for bookies that want more sports betting to be allowed. But they will not be able to see it until 2024. Even so, it’s still not a sure thing. In November 2022, both proposals were voted down by the people of California. There is still resistance from California’s local groups and even from the government itself.

Alaska

Even though there have been local efforts to make sports betting legal in Alaska, it is still unlikely that this will happen any time soon. Unlike most of the additional states on the list, the books themselves don’t do much pushing since the state is so big and has too few people to create it worth the work. Still, the state assembly has a bill that needs to be voted on.

Hawai’i

The lack of betting in Hawaii, not even a state lotto, makes it harder to legalize sports betting. Most laws are passed by tying sports betting to laws already on the books about how the lottery system works. Even Hawaii can’t do that. Tennessee, which only has online voting and wouldn’t need a whole new system, could be used as a model. Despite all of this, legislation has been proposed for early 2023 that would make sports betting possible.

Florida

Florida is a nation in limbo. During part of 2021, it was allowed to bet on sports, and the state was taking tips. Then, a federal judge threw out a deal between the Seminole tribe and the state, which ended the problem. There was an appeal, but no ruling is coming soon.

Maine

In April 2022, the Maine state government passed a bill to let the state’s four largest tribe leaders work with big companies to take bets in person only.

Nebraska

Nebraska is on the verge of a big change in how people bet on sports. Three changes to the law that were on the ballot in November 2021 and were approved by voters have been made so that Nebraska can fully join the business. With these changes, sports betting will be fully legalized in Nebraska sooner rather than later.