Where Is Sports Betting Legal? Updated Projections for All 50 States

Mobile and online sports betting is legal and live in 31 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.

States With Legal Sports Betting

It’s hard to believe it’s been more than eight years since the Supreme Court gave states the green light to legalize sports betting.

Since then, the landscape has completely changed.

Missouri was the latest state to go live with online sports betting on Dec. 1, 2025 after voters approved legalization in November 2024. Now, 31 states are live with statewide online/mobile betting (plus D.C. and Puerto Rico). Other states either ban online sports betting entirely or have restrictions (think retail-only, on-premise mobile, or tribal-only setups).

DraftKings and FanDuel still dominate market share, combining for roughly 70-80% of handle or GGR in many states, while Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM, theScore Bet, and Fanatics Sportsbook round out most competitive markets. Some states such as Florida run on a single-operator model, effectively eliminating competition. If you’re in a legal state and thinking about trying a new sportsbook, it’s worth checking current sign-up deals. BetMGM and bet365, for example, routinely offer promos that give you some extra buffer on your first bets.

[Check out the best online sportsbooks in any of the states highlighted in green below

Legal Sports Betting States Accepting Bets (39 states + Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico)

There are a few categories of “legal” in the U.S.:

• In-person betting only (or “retail-only”): A model where wagering is legally restricted entirely to physical brick-and-mortar sportsbooks. This generates a fraction of the revenue compared to full online markets. (Examples: New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska).

• Full online betting with multiple sportsbooks: A highly competitive, open commercial market where players can choose from dozens of competing apps statewide. (New Jersey is the classic example with 20+ operators).

• Online betting with a single operator: A government or lottery-backed monopoly model where a state contracts exclusively with one platform for statewide mobile betting. (Examples: Oregon, New Hampshire).

• Tribal-only mobile betting: A model tied strictly to tribal-state gaming compacts where mobile apps are geofenced exclusively to sovereign tribal land. (Example: Washington, where commercial apps like BetMGM or Caesars only unlock on tribal property).

• On-premise mobile betting (Non-tribal): A model where commercial state-regulated mobile wagering is technically legal, but the app will only function while you are physically standing inside a licensed casino, racetrack, or lottery retail venue. (Example: Mississippi, or Montana's lottery-run app).

Arizona

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Arizona passed its sports betting bill in April 2021, allowing for online wagering and some of the nation’s first in-stadium sportsbooks. It quickly became one of the most popular states to place a bet.

The first online sportsbooks went live on Sept. 9, 2021, the first day of the NFL season. Around a dozen online sportsbooks are active (roughly 12, depending on exits/entries), including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, bet365 and Fanatics Sportsbook.

In March 2022, Arizona vaulted into the top 10 states in monthly handle for the first time.

Earlier that month, FanDuel opened a retail sportsbook at Footprint Center (Phoenix Suns and Mercury), Caesars did the same at Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks), BetMGM built out State Farm Stadium (Arizona Cardinals), and DraftKings launched a book at TPC Scottsdale, home of the Waste Management Open.

Note: FanDuel’s retail book at Footprint Center closed July 24, 2025.

When it comes to NFL betting, we have plenty of resources available to you: NFL Odds, NFL Futures, NFL Picks, and NFL ATS Standings. And if you're more into NFL Props, we also have NFL Props Picks and Touchdown Props!

You can learn more about the Best NFL Betting Apps and Best NFL Betting Promos by checking out our reviews!

Arkansas

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

On Feb. 22, 2022, the Arkansas Joint Budget Committee finalized rules to bring sports betting online, expanding it beyond in-person activity at three casinos (legal since 2019).

The first online sportsbook went live on March 5, 2022 via Betly (Delaware North) in partnership with Southland Casino. For a while, Arkansas' only sportsbooks were the three homegrown options of BetSaracen, Betly, and Oaklawn Sports.

Arkansas law allows up to eight online sportsbooks, with DraftKings and FanDuel joining the party in March 2026. A steep 51% revenue split requirement kept national brands out of the Natural State, but these operators eventually decided that the tax was worth the cost.

Colorado

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Colorado launched legal online and retail betting in May 2020, six months after voters approved it in November 2019. It has become one of the more competitive markets in the country, with more than a dozen online sportsbooks, including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and others. It was one of the first states to pass $200 million in monthly handle and remains a top-10 handle market, generating between $500 million and $700 million in monthly handle.

Online books must partner with one of Colorado’s 30+ casinos. The state initially had very operator-friendly tax rules, but lawmakers have cracked down on promo-expense deductions to increase tax revenue. Governor Jared Polis' signing of HB 25-1311 slashed the allowed promo deduction down to just 1%, and eliminated all free-bet tax deductions, meaning 100% of sportsbooks' gross revenue is subject to tax.

Connecticut

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Gov. Ned Lamont struck a deal with the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes in 2021, authorizing the two tribes and the state lottery to run online sports betting. Those licenses are tied to DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics Sportsbook (Fanatics replaced PlaySugarHouse as the CT Lottery’s partner in late 2023).

Each partner has an in-person sportsbook at their respective casino. The lottery and its operator, Fanatics, run 12 retail locations across the state (authorized for up to 15 under state law), including sports bars, off-track betting venues, and the state lottery headquarters.

It’s a small market and fairly mature at this point, so there's not much in the way of expansion left unless new brands come in.

In May 2026, lawmakers passed HB 5229, which officially bans all sports betting advertisements on college campuses and forces the three active operators to provide a live customer service phone line rather than just using automated chatbots.  Additionally, to protect the exclusivity of the three licensed operators, Connecticut officially banned sweepstakes-style casinos and issued sweeping cease-and-desist orders to popular sports prediction/pick'em apps (like Kalshi and Robinhood), explicitly declaring them unauthorized sports wagering.

Delaware

Status: In-person and online betting with a single operator

Delaware was technically the first state outside Nevada to accept a legal single-game bet, back on June 5, 2018. Online took longer. The state’s lottery-run market now includes online betting exclusively via BetRivers, which launched statewide on Jan. 3, 2024, alongside the three existing retail sportsbooks.

Given Delaware’s small population and the fact that all its neighbors offer full competitive online markets, Delaware gets relatively little attention.

Florida

Status: In-person and online betting with a single operator

Hard Rock Bet relaunched statewide in December 2023, and the U.S. Supreme Court officially declined to take up the legal challenge in June 2024. That effectively locked in the Seminole Tribe’s exclusive control over sports betting through 2051 under the existing compact.

Good news if you just want to bet; bad news if you’re hoping for DraftKings, FanDuel, or anyone else. No additional commercial operators are expected unless there’s a future overhaul of the compact.

Illinois

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Illinois launched retail betting on March 9, 2020, and online betting in June 2020. It’s one of the biggest markets in the country by both handle and tax revenue, consistently making the top 5.

In 2021, lawmakers removed an in-person registration requirement for mobile accounts, which massively boosted the online market. BetMGM and Caesars joined existing operators in 2022. Originally, limited in-person betting on Illinois college teams was allowed starting in December 2021, with no player props and only pre-game wagers. That carve-out had a sunset clause and was not renewed.

Illinois bettors can still legally bet on state college teams (like the Fighting Illini or Northwestern), but strict guardrails are in place: the wager must be placed in person at a physical retail sportsbook, pre-game only, with absolutely no individual player props allowed. You cannot bet on state college teams online in Illinois.

In July 2024, Illinois completely abandoned its flat 15% sports betting tax. It implemented a massive, sliding progressive tax scale reaching up to 40% on the highest-earning sportsbooks (directly targeting DraftKings and FanDuel). This makes it the second-highest taxed market in the country behind New York.

To compound the tax hike, the state later introduced a highly controversial per-wager tax ($0.25 to $0.50 per individual ticket processed). In response, operators completely changed how they do business in Illinois: apps like FanDuel and DraftKings now pass this tax directly to the player by charging a $0.25 to $0.50 surcharge per bet, while other apps like BetMGM and Circa instituted high minimum bet limits ($2.50 to $10) to cope with the fees. If you're trying to avoid these taxes, check out our recs for the best tax-free Illinois sportsbooks.

Indiana

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Indiana went live with online betting on Oct. 3, 2019, one month after retail launched. It was the 13th state to approve sports betting and has been one of the steadier markets since Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the bill in May 2019. The state has taken more than $27 billion in bets and supports a mix of national brands and smaller operators.

Indiana law technically allows more than 40 online skins, but only around a dozen are active at any given time; the usual (FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, etc.) dominate share.

Iowa

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Iowa started taking bets on Aug. 15, 2019, and has quietly remained one of the more competitive per-capita markets.

There are about 11 online sportsbooks, and licensing fees are relatively low: $45,000 the first year and $10,000 annually after. bet365 Iowa is one of the more recent arrivals.

Even without major pro teams, Iowa draws handle from neighboring states that are slower to expand or only have limited retail betting.

To protect Iowa's legal sportsbooks and the low-tax handle they generate, Governor Kim Reynolds just signed SF 2289 into law. Effective July 1, 2026, the state is completely cracking down on unregulated sweepstakes-style casinos and prediction pick'em apps, giving regulators explicit cease-and-desist powers to clear them out of the market.

The same brand-new 2026 bill (SF 2289) also updates how winnings are handled. The state is making tax withholding completely automatic for sports betting wins that trigger a federal tax form requirement, a major shift from Iowa's previous hands-off threshold policy.

Kansas

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Kansas legalized sports betting in 2022 and launched both online and retail betting on Sept. 1, 2022, just in time for NFL season. The state law allows up to 12 online sportsbooks and has licensed seven so far.

In August 2025, bet365 officially launched in Kansas as the state's seventh online operator. It entered through a unique regulatory allowance, making it the first online book to operate in the state without a direct physical retail casino tie-in.  

Following the U.S. Supreme Court's validation of Florida's mobile gaming model, Kansas actively reworked its tribal relationships to implement a similar "hub-and-spoke" framework for statewide online betting. Multiple tribes—including the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and, most recently, the Sac and Fox Nation—successfully secured federal Bureau of Indian Affairs approval for their amended Class III gaming compacts. These newly approved agreements legally establish the tribes' computer servers as the official location of the bet, clearing the runway for Kansas tribes to launch their own mobile sportsbooks accessible to players anywhere within state lines.

Kentucky

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Kentucky’s 2022 effort to legalize fell just short, but lawmakers came back in 2023 and passed HB 551 in April. Retail launched Sept. 7, 2023, and online went live Sept. 28, 2023, making it a fast rollout to set the stage for other speedy state launches.

Kentucky’s nine racetracks can each host a retail book and up to three online partners, so you could eventually see up to 27 online sportsbooks in the state, though that ceiling is more theoretical than imminent.

Louisiana

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

In November 2020, voters in 55 of 64 parishes approved sports betting, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette. Retail betting started in October 2021.

Multiple online sportsbooks are now live: FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, theScore Bet, Fanatics, BetRivers, bet365, and ClutchBet among them. WynnBET exited in 2023.

Louisiana’s law allowed for up to 41 licenses because each of the 20 licensed land-based/riverboat casinos was granted two mobile skins (40 total), plus one mobile skin reserved for the Louisiana State Lottery. However, the State Lottery officially announced it would not be launching its own online platform, effectively capping the functional market ceiling at 40.

While Louisiana previously had a geographic advantage of being one of the few fully online markets in the Southeast, neighbors such as North Carolina have launched massive, competitive multi-operator mobile markets, reducing Louisiana's unique regional monopoly on mobile handle.

Maine

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

For a long time, Maine’s road to legalization was a political stalemate. That changed in May 2022 when Governor Janet Mills signed a unique compromise into law: the state’s four federally recognized Wabanaki tribes were granted exclusive control over mobile sports betting, while the state's brick-and-mortar commercial casinos were left with only in-person (retail) rights.

The market officially went live on November 3, 2023. 

If you are a sports bettor physically located in Maine today, the experience is highly digital & functional but entirely lacking in brand variety.

• A Tightly Locked Duopoly: Because the tribes hold all the keys to the digital kingdom, they teamed up with major national partners. Today, there are exactly two legal online sports betting apps available statewide: DraftKings and Caesars Sportsbook.

• The App Split: Caesars holds three of the tribal mobile partnerships (with the Mi'kmaq, Maliseet, and Penobscot nations), while DraftKings holds the fourth (with the Passamaquoddy Tribe). Other mega-brands like FanDuel, BetMGM, and Fanatics are entirely locked out of the Pine Tree State.

• In-Person Options Exist (But Are Limited): If you prefer to place a cash bet at a physical counter, you have to travel to the state's two commercial retail casinos: Hollywood Casino in Bangor or Oxford Casino.

The Bottom Line: For the average Maine bettor, you can easily open your phone from your couch and place a legal wager on the Patriots or Celtics. However, because there are only two operators, you won't find the aggressive, competitive bonus-code wars or line-shopping options enjoyed by bettors in more open markets.

Maryland

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Voters approved sports betting in 2020. After a long rulemaking slog, full online launch finally happened on Nov. 23, 2022.

Maryland law allows up to 60 online sportsbooks and 30 retail locations. Around a dozen online books are active today, with occasional churn as brands come and go.

Massachusetts

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Massachusetts passed its bill in early August 2022. Retail launch was Jan. 31, 2023; online followed on March 10, 2023. Seven mobile operators are currently live: DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, theScore Bet, Fanatics Sportsbook, and Bally Bet.

Key rules:

• 15% tax on retail, 20% on online.
• No betting on in-state colleges except in multi-team tournaments (e.g., March Madness).
• Category 1 resort casinos (Encore Boston Harbor and MGM Springfield) can host up to two online partners, but the category 2 slots parlor (Plainridge Park Casino) is only permitted one online partner.
• Racetracks can host one online partner each.

Michigan

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Retail betting began at MGM Grand Detroit on March 11, 2020. Online books (including BetMGM and DraftKings) launched in early 2021. The state now has 12 online operators, with the cap being at 15.

Michigan is a top-10 handle state and one of the few that also offers full online casinos (iGaming), which dramatically boosts overall gaming revenue.

Mississippi

Status: Both in-person and on-premise online sportsbooks

Mississippi technically allows online sports betting, but only while you’re physically on the property of a licensed casino. There's no statewide mobile betting from your couch. Therefore, retail books at coastal and river casinos still handle the vast majority of the action.

Montana

Status: Lottery-run retail and on-premise mobile (no statewide online)

Montana legalized lottery-run sports betting in 2019 and launched Sports Bet Montana in March 2020. Wagering is offered via kiosks and an app, but you have to be physically at a licensed retailer to place bets in the app. It’s not a "true" statewide mobile market.

Missouri

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Missouri is finally in the game. Voters narrowly approved Amendment 2 in November 2024, amending the state constitution to allow regulated retail and online sports betting under the Missouri Gaming Commission.

Legal online and retail sportsbooks launched on Dec. 1, 2025, with pre-registration opening Nov. 17, 2025. Major brands like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, bet365, Fanatics, Circa, and theScore Bet were approved for licenses.

Missouri became the 39th U.S. state with active sports betting when the market opened.

Nebraska

Status: In-person sportsbooks only

Voters approved three constitutional amendments in November 2020 to allow “games of chance” at Nebraska’s licensed horse tracks, paving the way for casino gaming and retail sportsbooks. A regulatory bill authorizing retail sportsbooks followed, and in-person sports betting began in June 2023 at WarHorse Lincoln. Retail wagering has since expanded to additional racetrack casinos, including WarHorse Omaha and Grand Island Casino Resort. You can also bet in person at Caesars Sportsbook at Harrah's Columbus.

All betting must still be done in person at authorized racetrack casinos; online and mobile wagering remain illegal. Lawmakers have floated online-expansion ideas (including an LB13 proposal and a special-session push in 2024).

Most recently, The 2026 ballot push is fully underway. In February 2026, Nebraska casino operators (led by WarHorse Gaming) officially bypassed the gridlocked legislature and launched a massive petition drive. Backed by over $5.6 million in direct funding from DraftKings and FanDuel, organizers are actively gathering 300,000 signatures before the July 3, 2026 deadline to secure a spot on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. The specific statutory language proposed for the 2026 ballot explicitly bans live, in-game betting on Nebraska college teams (like the Husker football team) and completely outlaws individual player props for in-state college athletes.

Nevada

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Nevada remains the most iconic brick-and-mortar gambling destination in the country, but its digital market is held back by legacy regulations. It is the only major, statewide mobile market that still mandates in-person registration, meaning you cannot place a bet on an app until you physically walk into a casino to activate your mobile account.

Furthermore, because national behemoths like DraftKings and FanDuel do not operate sportsbooks here, Nevada missing out on modern digital infrastructure has allowed massive mobile-first states like New York and New Jersey to routinely dwarf it in monthly handle. Reflecting this shift, the Nevada Gaming Control Board reported an 11.3% year-over-year decline in betting handle for March 2026, underlining how the state's share of the national sports betting pie continues to shrink relative to fully digital markets.  

New Hampshire

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

New Hampshire went live with online wagering on Dec. 30, 2019 under a single-operator model: DraftKings is the exclusive online sportsbook and runs most retail books via a revenue-sharing deal with the state lottery. You cannot bet on in-state college teams (or college games played in New Hampshire), but you can bet on out-of-state college events.

New Hampshire has held its own despite strong competition from neighboring states, but its handle is capped by population and the monopoly structure.

New Jersey

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

New Jersey, the state that took the PASPA fight to the Supreme Court, remains one of the top U.S. sports betting markets. Retail betting began in 2018, with online sportsbooks following shortly after.

The state now hosts 14 online brands under an operator-friendly model tied to Atlantic City casinos and racetracks. New Jersey still prohibits betting on in-state college teams or college games played in New Jersey, with no tournament exceptions. You cannot bet on a New Jersey college team (like Rutgers or Seton Hall) or any college game played on New Jersey soil, even if it is the NCAA Men's Final Four or March Madness. Lawmakers tried to pass a constitutional amendment to add exceptions in November 2021, but state voters explicitly rejected it at the ballot box.

Even after New York’s online launch, New Jersey continues to post massive annual handle figures and remains a core market for virtually every big U.S. sportsbook.

New Mexico

Status: In-person sportsbooks only

New Mexico has never passed a specific sports betting law, but a few Native American tribes began offering in-person sports betting at their casinos in 2018 by interpreting their Class III gaming compacts to include sports wagering. Federal regulators haven’t intervened, and that framework is still in place.

The result: retail tribal sportsbooks only, with no statewide online or mobile betting. There’s been little meaningful legislative movement toward a regulated online market.

New York

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

New York remains the undisputed king of the U.S. sports betting market by total handle, fueled entirely by its massive population and a high-volume, multi-app mobile ecosystem that launched on January 8, 2022.

While upstate commercial and tribal casinos offer in-person betting, retail handle is a mere fraction of the market; nearly the entire ecosystem runs digitally through a tightly controlled roster of nine approved apps (including FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars, and BetMGM). This immense volume allows the state to pull in record-breaking revenue despite enforcing a staggering, nation-high 51% tax rate on mobile gross gaming revenue.

However, the regulatory framework has stiffened. Betting on in-state college teams and individual college player props remains strictly illegal. Furthermore, responding to high-profile sports manipulation scandals, the New York State Gaming Commission enacted strict new guidelines targeting same-game parlays (SGPs) and individual professional player props, signaling a willingness to heavily restrict specific betting menus to protect game integrity.

North Carolina

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

North Carolina legalized in-person sports betting at two tribal casinos in 2019 and took its first bets in March 2021. The big shift came in 2023 when lawmakers approved statewide online betting, and Gov. Roy Cooper signed it into law on June 14, 2023. Online sports betting launched March 11, 2024, with eight operators: bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, PENN’s theScore Bet, Fanatics Sportsbook, FanDuel, Caesars Sportsbook (via the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), and Underdog.

Underdog exited in December 2025, though Hard Rock Bet later launched to fill the gap.

The North Carolina State Lottery Commission can license up to 12 operators, and as of late 2025, that full number is either approved or close to being filled, making the Tar Heel State one of the most competitive markets.

North Dakota

Status: In-person tribal sportsbooks only (no statewide mobile)

North Dakota has no statewide sports betting statute, but tribes operate retail sportsbooks at their casinos under their gaming compacts, similar to New Mexico’s model. Those compacts also allow on-reservation mobile betting, but only while you’re physically on tribal lands. Statewide online betting remains illegal. Efforts like HCR 3002 and related task-force proposals to open a broader online market have not passed, and the legislature rejected expansion ideas again in 2025.

Ohio

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Ohio launched its highly anticipated sports betting market with a massive "big-bang" joint rollout of retail and mobile options on January 1, 2023. Backed by an immense sports culture centered on major professional teams and a passionate collegiate fan base, Ohio instantly solidified its status as a top-tier powerhouse for monthly betting handle. Structurally, the state has a theoretical capacity for up to 50 mobile operators, though the market has heavily consolidated down to 13 active online apps—including national anchors like FanDuel, DraftKings, bet365, and BetMGM—alongside physical sportsbooks at casinos, racinos, and pro stadiums.

Despite its highly lucrative volume, the regulatory landscape has seen significant shifts since launch. Six months into operations, Governor Mike DeWine signed a state budget that effectively doubled the sports betting tax rate from 10% to 20%. Additionally, following targeted harassment of collegiate athletes, the Ohio Casino Control Commission permanently banned all individual college player prop bets. While traditional point spread, moneyline, and game total wagers remain fully legal for college matchups, individual player statistics are completely restricted from the betting menu.  

Oklahoma

Status: Still illegal

Oklahoma remains one of the largest states in the country without any legal sports betting framework, retail or online. Despite boasting a massive, sophisticated tribal casino presence, efforts to legalize the industry have continuously crashed against political gridlock and deep legislative divisions. The most significant push to date occurred in late April 2026, when a heavily negotiated piece of legislation—House Bill 1047—secured backing from a majority of state tribes and the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, the momentum was abruptly crushed on the Senate floor, where lawmakers officially voted down the bill in a 21-27 defeat.

The latest legislative failure highlights a steep uphill battle for the state. While proponents argued a tribal-controlled framework would successfully eliminate a thriving black market, opposing senators successfully pivoted the floor debate toward social impact and problem gambling concerns, explicitly labeling mobile sports betting an "institutionalized vice" targeting young men. Additionally, Governor Kevin Stitt maintained fierce opposition, favoring an open commercial market model rather than granting exclusive mobile sports betting rights to Oklahoma’s tribal nations. With the defeat of HB 1047, any hopes for a regulated market launch have been effectively pushed out past 2026.

Oregon

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Oregon utilized a unique pre-PASPA loophole regarding legacy lottery parlay games to restart sports betting under the Oregon Lottery without passing entirely new legislation. The lottery initially launched its own "Scoreboard" app in 2019, but later dissolved the platform and transitioned to DraftKings as its exclusive, single-operator online partner in January 2022. While four tribal casinos across the state operate independent, physical retail sportsbooks, DraftKings remains the sole legal option for statewide digital wagering from your couch.

A defining feature of Oregon's market is its absolute restriction on collegiate events. The Oregon Lottery platform completely bans all college sports betting—not just on in-state teams, but on all NCAA matchups across the country. While lawmakers recently debated a proposal to allow mainstream college betting (while retaining a ban on individual college player props), the effort failed to cross the finish line. Consequently, Oregon's digital menu remains strictly limited to professional sports leagues, though bettors can still find full NCAA betting options by physically traveling to one of the state's tribal casino books.

Pennsylvania

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Pennsylvania is one of the pillars of the U.S. sports betting economy. Having passed its framework prior to the federal repeal of PASPA, the state launched physical retail wagering in late 2018 and fully unlocked online betting in May 2019. Driven by its immense population and deep-rooted sports culture, Pennsylvania has consistently maintained its position as a top-five market nationally by total handle. Alongside sports wagering, it is one of a select few states with a mature, fully regulated iGaming (online casino) market, which regularly outpaces sports betting to serve as the crown jewel of the state's overall gaming tax revenue.

However, operating in the Keystone State comes at a steep premium. Mobile operators face a staggering 36% tax rate on online sports betting gross gaming revenue (GGR)—the second-highest among competitive, multi-operator states—in addition to a hefty $10 million initial licensing fee. The tax burden has kept the active market consolidated to roughly 10 streamlined digital apps anchored by industry giants like FanDuel, DraftKings, bet365, and theScore Bet. Furthermore, the fiscal landscape is shifting; inspired by tax hikes in Illinois, Pennsylvania lawmakers are actively debating an additional sports betting tax increase in the 2026 legislative session, drawing strong warnings from operators who claim the added costs will inevitably be passed down to bettors in the form of reduced promo structures and higher vigorish.

Rhode Island

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

Rhode Island was one of the earliest adopters of legal sports betting following the repeal of PASPA, launching retail operations in late 2018 and mobile wagering in 2019. For nearly its entire operational history, the Ocean State ran an absolute single-operator state monopoly through the Rhode Island Lottery, utilizing IGT PlaySports technology to power its standalone "Sportsbook Rhode Island" platform. While the state modernized the app in 2020 by permanently removing an inconvenient in-person casino registration requirement, its strict single-app framework severely limited product depth and promotional offerings, causing Rhode Island to lose significant handle to neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut.

However, the state's rigid monopoly structure has officially collapsed. Recognizing the loss of potential tax revenue to more competitive surrounding markets, the Rhode Island Lottery opened a formal competitive bidding process that culminated in May 2026 with the official selection of Bally’s (Bally Bet) as the state's second licensed online sports betting operator. Bally Bet is currently on track to launch its mobile app alongside the state's legacy platform by late 2026. This dual-operator framework will run parallel to Rhode Island's existing retail books, which are located inside the state's two commercial gaming facilities: Bally's Twin River Lincoln and Bally's Tiverton. Under state rules, bettors must be 18 or older to wager, and betting on any in-state college sports team remains strictly prohibited.

South Carolina

Status: Still illegal

South Carolina has not legalized sports betting in any form. Lawmakers have floated various bills and constitutional amendments in recent sessions, but nothing has cleared the legislature, and there’s no active launch timeline.

South Dakota

Status: In-person sportsbooks only

Voters approved a 2020 constitutional amendment to allow sports betting only in Deadwood (and subsequently on certain tribal lands). Retail sportsbooks in Deadwood casinos began taking bets in September 2021, and some tribal casinos have also launched retail sportsbooks under their own compacts.

Statewide online betting has gone nowhere politically; the constitution’s “Deadwood + tribal lands only” language makes broader mobile expansion a heavy lift unless lawmakers and voters are willing to revisit the amendment.

Tennessee

Status: Online-only (no retail sportsbooks)

Tennessee is a trailblazer in the sports betting space, launching on November 1, 2020, as the nation's very first strictly digital market with no brick-and-mortar casino infrastructure. Every single legal wager in the state must be placed online or via mobile apps, which are regulated by the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council (SWAC). Free from physical constraints, the state boasts a highly competitive landscape featuring 11 active online sportsbooks—including marquee giants like DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM—which consistently generate massive handle from the state's passionate pro and college sports fanbase.

The defining characteristic of the Volunteer State is its highly experimental tax framework. In July 2023, lawmakers permanently eliminated a heavily criticized, first-of-its-kind rule that mandated sportsbooks maintain a strict 10% annual hold (payout cap). To replace it, the state pivoted to a 1.85% tax on total betting handle rather than gross revenue. While this change removed the compliance headaches of the hold rule, it remains a unique point of contention for operators: because they are taxed on total betting volume rather than net profit, sportsbooks must pay the state even on bets where they lose money or issue heavy promotional credits. Despite the industry debate, the model has proven incredibly lucrative for the state treasury, securing over $107 million in annual tax revenue.

Vermont

Status: Online-only (no retail sportsbooks)

Vermont officially entered the legal sports wagering space on January 11, 2024, joining Tennessee and Wyoming as the nation's only strictly online-only markets with zero brick-and-mortar casino infrastructure. Regulated by the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery, the state utilizes a competitive, state-controlled bidding model. While the framework allows for up to six mobile licenses, state regulators tightly controlled the rollout by approving just three flagship operators: DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics Sportsbook.

To place a wager, bettors must be at least 21 years old and physically present within the state's borders. Given its small population, the Green Mountain State generates modest handle compared to national powerhouses, but it enforces highly strict consumer protections. Credit cards are entirely banned as a payment method to combat problem gambling. Additionally, while wagering on mainstream professional leagues is fully unlocked, betting on local in-state college teams or any collegiate events held on Vermont soil is strictly prohibited—unless a local team enters a major postseason tournament like March Madness. Individual collegiate player prop bets remain entirely illegal under all circumstances.

Virginia

Status: Both in-person and online sportsbooks

Virginia features a highly robust and active sports betting market, launched under the oversight of the Virginia Lottery in January 2021. While the market initially operated strictly through a competitive digital ecosystem of over a dozen mobile apps, the state has undergone an aggressive brick-and-mortar casino boom. Physical retail sportsbooks are now fully operational at several major locations across the state: Rivers Casino Portsmouth, Hard Rock Bristol, Caesars Virginia in Danville, and the newly opened temporary Live! Casino Virginia in Petersburg, which officially took its first bets on January 22, 2026.

A defining limitation of the Virginia market is its zero-tolerance policy on local collegiate sports. Under current regulations, wagering on any in-state college team or university is entirely illegal—meaning no bets are allowed on local programs like UVA or Virginia Tech, with no exceptions granted for postseason tournaments like March Madness. Additionally, individual player prop bets on all college athletes (regardless of what state the school is from) are strictly banned. However, this framework is facing a major shakeup in the 2026 legislative session: lawmakers are actively debating House Bill 1527, which would lift the ban on in-state Division I college betting, but subject those specific local wagers to an unprecedented 50% tax rate to directly fund state athletic departments.

Washington

Status: In-person sportsbooks only

Washington State operates a strictly controlled, brick-and-mortar sports betting market confined entirely to Native American tribal lands. Following the federal repeal of PASPA, the state chose to bypass a commercial, statewide mobile model, granting exclusive rights to its federally recognized tribes through amended Class III gaming compacts. While select tribal casinos offer mobile wagering apps, the software is strictly geofenced—meaning you can only place a digital bet while your feet are physically planted inside a tribal gaming facility. The legal exclusivity of this tribal monopoly was permanently cemented when the U.S. Supreme Court officially declined to hear a major commercial legal challenge, effectively ending years of litigation and safeguarding tribal gaming sovereignty.

The biggest shakeup to the market arrived in March 2026, when lawmakers enacted Senate Bill 6137 (The Sports Wagering Integrity Act). The new law completely dissolved the state's long-standing, unpopular blanket ban on local college sports, officially allowing tribal retail sportsbooks to take wagers on in-state schools like the University of Washington and Washington State University. However, the expansion features highly unique guardrails: individual player props on local collegiate athletes remain completely illegal, and the law pioneeringly bans wagers on in-game coaching decisions (such as calling a timeout) or referee officiating judgments to protect the integrity of the student-athletes.

Washington D.C.

Status: Both in-person and disctrict-wide online sportsbooks

Washington, D.C. features an intricate, fast-evolving wagering market that has significantly matured following a chaotic transition out of its old lottery-monopoly model. The District allows competitive, district-wide mobile sports betting alongside major brick-and-mortar sportsbooks. Following a massive regulatory overhaul, the market is anchored by five flagship mobile operators—FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, and Fanatics Sportsbook. These apps complement a highly successful tier of physical, retail sportsbooks located directly inside major professional sports venues like Capital One Arena, Nationals Park, and Audi Field.

Despite its highly functional current layout, navigating the District's sports betting scene requires understanding unique geographical and administrative boundaries. Because it is a federal territory, mobile betting apps automatically geofence and completely block all wagering if a user is standing on federal property, including the National Mall, Rock Creek Park, and the U.S. Capitol grounds. Furthermore, the District enforces strict wagering restrictions on student-athletes: betting on local D.C. collegiate teams (such as Georgetown or Howard) is entirely illegal, as is wagering on any college event physically hosted within District lines.

West Virginia

Status: Both In-person and online sportsbooks

West Virginia was a progressive pioneer in the sports wagering space, legalizing both retail and mobile sports betting in 2018 and fully rolling out online apps by 2019. Under the oversight of the West Virginia Lottery Commission, the state features a robust, multi-operator ecosystem anchored by major platforms like DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, and BetRivers. Alongside a flourishing sports betting industry, West Virginia is one of a handful of states with a mature, fully legal online casino (iGaming) market. Because digital slot and table games generate significantly more revenue than sportsbooks, the Mountain State consistently punches well above its weight in overall gaming revenue relative to its population.

A defining characteristic of West Virginia's modern framework is its unique, protective approach to collegiate wagering. While the state has strongly resisted a nationwide trend pushed by the NCAA to ban individual college player props—making it one of the few remaining markets where you can legally wager on a college athlete's specific statistics—it enforces an aggressive zero-tolerance policy against cyberbullying. Under state law, any bettor who is caught sending harassing messages or digital threats to college athletes, coaches, or sports officials over a sports bet will face immediate and permanent blacklisting from every sportsbook app and retail casino in the state.

Wisconsin

Status: Retail tribal sportsbooks only; state mobile betting legalized but awaiting launch

Wisconsin operates a strictly tribal-controlled sports betting market, which initially launched in November 2021 when the Oneida Nation accepted the state's very first legal wagers. Physical retail sportsbooks have since expanded across the state through individual Class III gaming compact amendments, operating at flagship tribal properties including the Forest County Potawatomi in Milwaukee and St. Croix Chippewa casinos. While the Oneida Nation pioneered a highly restricted mobile betting app, its usage is strictly geofenced to specific tribal land and approved truck-stop properties, meaning statewide wagering from your couch was historically locked down.

However, the state's digital boundaries were completely rewritten on April 9, 2026, when Governor Tony Evers signed Assembly Bill 601 into law. The landmark legislation officially legalizes statewide mobile sports betting by utilizing a creative "hub-and-spoke" tech framework. Under this model, residents will eventually be allowed to place bets from anywhere in Wisconsin, provided the digital wagers legally route through physical computer servers anchored on sovereign tribal land. Despite the bill becoming law, the statewide online market is not yet operational. The state is currently immersed in complex compact negotiations with all 11 federally recognized tribes to ensure an equitable rollout, while national commercial sportsbooks are actively lobbying against a protectionist statutory clause that guarantees tribal nations a mandatory 60% share of all digital gaming revenue.

Wyoming

Status: Online-only (no retail sportsbooks)

Wyoming legalized online sports betting in 2021 under HB 133 and launched its online-only market on September 1, 2021. There are no brick-and-mortar sportsbooks; all regulated betting is done via mobile/online.

As of late 2025, five online sportsbooks are operating: BetMGM, FanDuel, Caesars, Fanatics, and DraftKings. Wyoming’s model is unusual in that state law allows sports betting at 18, but in practice, most major apps still gate registration to 21+. DraftKings is the notable 18+ exception.

Puerto Rico

Status: Both in-person and online sportsbooks

Puerto Rico allows both retail and online sports betting.

• BetMGM launched the island’s first online sportsbook on June 8, 2023
• Caesars followed with its online sportsbook on July 6, 2023
• FanDuel launched online and retail in partnership with CAGE Sports on Jan. 16, 2025

DraftKings launched its online sportsbook in Puerto Rico on Feb. 23, 2026. Online access is currently limited to Puerto Rico residents, and new customers must register in person at Foxwoods El San Juan Casino before using the app. Visitors can still place bets only at the retail sportsbook, and rhe legal betting age is 18+.

States Without Online Sports Betting & Their Status

Alabama

Status: Still illegal

Alabama remains entirely devoid of legal sports betting, retail or online, as the state’s complex and deeply conservative political environment continues to block expansion. While a massive gaming package featuring a state lottery, commercial casinos, and sports betting collapsed spectacularly in 2024, subsequent legislative sessions have failed to revive any momentum.

In the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 257—a proposed constitutional amendment to authorize a state lottery, in-person casino gaming, and statewide online sports wagering—alongside an implementing framework under House Bill 449. However, state legislative leadership repeatedly signaled that the necessary supermajority votes were simply not there. The proposals ultimately stalled out, leaving Alabama with zero legal momentum and ensuring the state's gambling black market remains entirely untouched heading out of 2026.

Alaska

Status: No significant progress

Alaska continues to sit at a absolute standstill regarding sports betting. Following a failed 2022 proposal (HB 385) introduced by Governor Mike Dunleavy that briefly attempted to legalize statewide mobile sportsbooks under a state lottery corporation, the issue has completely fallen off the legislative radar.

There has been zero meaningful legislative activity, committee hearings, or public debate in the years since. Due to a sparse population, a lack of physical commercial casinos, and a general absence of political appetite from Juneau lawmakers, sports betting remains strictly illegal in Alaska with no active or projected rollout timeline.

California

Status: Still not legal

California remains the uncontested "white whale" of the American sports gambling market, boasting immense revenue potential that continues to be locked away. The market has been entirely paralyzed since November 2022, when voters overwhelmingly rejected two competing ballot measures: the tribal-backed, retail-only Proposition 26 and the commercial operator-led mobile framework of Proposition 27.

Heading through 2026, the political landscape remains at a complete impasse. Despite perpetual speculation surrounding upcoming election cycles, tribal leaders have explicitly declined to back a 2026 ballot initiative, effectively pushing the next realistic window out to November 2028. Furthermore, the state has actively clamped down on alternative wagering avenues; following an aggressive formal opinion by the state Attorney General, paid Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) faces strict legal prohibitions, while Assembly Bill 831 aggressively curbed gray-market, dual-currency sweepstakes apps. Consequently, traditional sportsbooks are entirely illegal, and any future expansion remains strictly dependent on a unified tribal agreement that has yet to materialize.

Georgia

Status: Still illegal, active 2026 legislative battle

Georgia’s years-long saga to legalize sports betting has extended well into 2026, continuing a predictable cycle of high legislative optimism followed by brutal gridlock. Following a crushing failure in 2025 where implementing legislation failed to clear the House floor before the critical crossover deadline, proponents pivoted aggressively to sidestep the state's rigid constitutional amendment requirements.

The centerpiece of the 2026 push is House Bill 910. The legislation proposes to bypass a grueling statewide voter referendum by placing mobile sports betting entirely under the regulatory jurisdiction of the Georgia Lottery Corporation—arguing it functions simply as an expansion of existing lottery games. HB 910 cleared its first major committee hurdle in February 2026 and is heavily backed by national sportsbooks like DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM, who have collectively spent millions on lobbying. However, the bill faces an incredibly steep uphill climb: religious advocacy groups like the Georgia Baptist Convention have mounted fierce opposition, and legal experts warn that even if the bill passes a scheduled House floor vote, it faces an immediate, coin-flip constitutional challenge in state courts that could freeze any potential 2027 mobile rollout.

Hawaii

Status: Still illegal

Hawaii stands alongside Utah as one of only two states in the entire country with an absolute, zero-tolerance prohibition on all forms of commercial gambling, including a complete lack of a state lottery. While a sports betting bill generated unprecedented buzz by securing a historic committee hearing, it ultimately collapsed under intense cultural and legislative opposition.

To compound the state's fiercely anti-gambling posture, Hawaii lawmakers introduced strict, proactive legislation explicitly designed to ban and criminalize decentralized prediction markets and alternative online wagering workarounds. While some residents have attempted to access social sportsbooks or gray-market prediction platforms, the legal reality is absolute: sports betting remains strictly prohibited, and there is no active political mechanism in place to alter the state's stance.

In Hawaii, you may be eligible to play at social sportsbooks such as PlayBracco—see the PlayBracco promo code for more details.

Idaho

Status: No movement

Idaho features one of the most stagnant regulatory environments in the nation, having introduced no significant sports betting legislation since the federal repeal of PASPA. The state constitution contains strict anti-gambling language, and conservative lawmakers have shown zero appetite for revisiting the issue. There are no active bills, no interim studies, and no public campaigns pushing for sportsbooks, meaning Idaho will remain completely dark for the foreseeable future.

Minnesota

Status: 2024 bill failed; still no passage in 2025

Minnesota has long been considered a prime candidate to join the legal sports betting ranks, but its efforts remain entirely paralyzed by a bitter, multi-faction political turf war. The foundational template—historically anchored by House File 2000—aimed to grant the state's Native American tribes an absolute monopoly over mobile sports betting. However, that framework repeatedly fell apart due to intense disagreements regarding tax allocation, charitable gaming adjustments, and a fierce demand from the state's horse racing tracks for a piece of the mobile revenue pie.

The gridlock extended directly into the 2026 legislative session. Lawmakers introduced Senate File 4139 in an attempt to break the stalemate by focusing heavily on robust consumer protection guidelines and a compromise on corporate tax rates. The bill generated intense procedural friction, narrowly surviving a highly divided Senate Rules and Administration Committee vote before being shuffled off to the Commerce Committee. Because the state's tribal nations refuse to yield their demands for strict mobile exclusivity, and the horse racing industry continues to aggressively lobby against being shut out, Minnesota's sports betting push remains completely deadlocked without a finalized bill reaching the governor's desk.

Texas

Status: Next realistic shot is the 2027 session

Texas remains a massive untapped market, operating on a rigid political timeline that guarantees zero progress. Because the Texas Legislature operates under a biennial structure—meeting for regular sessions only during odd-numbered years—the state had no legislative mechanism to debate or pass sports betting bills.

The state's last major push occurred during the 2023 session, when a mobile sports betting resolution (HJR 102) successfully cleared the House but was decisively executed in the Senate by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who has maintained an unwavering opposition to gambling expansion. With no regular legislative session scheduled, the absolute earliest opportunity for Texas to reconsider sports betting is when lawmakers reconvene in Austin on January 12, 2027. Any successful bill passed then would still require a statewide voter referendum, pushing a realistic retail or mobile launch out to late 2027 or early 2028 at the absolute earliest.

Utah

Status: No movement

Utah maintains the most rigid anti-gambling stance in the United States. The state’s constitution explicitly prohibits all forms of gaming, and state statutes are uniquely designed to automatically ban any form of gambling legalized by the federal government or surrounding states. Backed by a deeply embedded cultural opposition to wagering, there are zero sports betting bills on the table, no public debates, and no path to legalization. Utah is universally expected to be the very last state—or never—to legalize sports betting.

What If My State Doesn't Have Legal Online Sports Betting?

If your state hasn't legalized online sports betting yet, you might be able to bet in person at retail locations.

For other workarounds, consider daily fantasy and “pick’em” style apps like Underdog, Sleeper and PrizePicks. However, since they’re getting more scrutiny and more restrictions state by state, always check current rules before you assume a DFS app is allowed where you live.

Alternatively, you can try the best prediction market apps. Thanks to federally regulated exchanges such as Polymarket and Kalshi, trading on event contracts related to sports and other topics is widely accessible throughout the country.

Yet another option is social sportsbooks, which run on state sweepstakes laws and implement a dual currency system to let users compete for cash prizes. You can make social sports picks on apps such as Thrillzz, Rebet, and Fliff.

And if you’re curious about where online casinos are legal, we touch on that a bit further down.