Sports Betting by State

Until relatively recently it was not possible to stake money on sporting events with a legal sportsbook anywhere in the United States except Nevada.

That changed in 2018 when the US Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. This decision lifted the federal ban on sports betting, and permitted each state to license sportsbooks to operate within its borders. 

In the years since, the majority of states have legalized sports wagering in some form or another. It has been fascinating to watch the development of legal sports betting in piecemeal fashion across the nation. 

States where sports betting is legal in person, online, or both

If you wanted vivid evidence of the individual character of every single one of the 50 states that make up the Union, the response to the repeal of PASPA is hard to beat. 

Some states were incredibly fast out of the blocks following that decision on May 14th, 2018. New Jersey, which had long pressed to join Nevada as an exception to the federal ban on sports betting, legalized within a month – though it was beaten to the punch by a week by Delaware. Mississippi, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania swiftly followed suit.

Other states were slower off the mark, and some insisted on restrictive regulations. For instance, if you wanted to register for an online sportsbook in Illinois, for a long while you had to attend a land-based casino to open a digital account.

There are now many states where you can wager both in person at a brick-and-mortar sportsbook, usually located within a casino, and online. Other states allow just retail sports betting, and there are some where you can wager online only. 

Sometimes there are even variations within states. In Louisiana, online sports betting is legal in 55 of the state’s 64 parishes, but not in the others. 

Wherever you are planning to place a sports bet, please check the legality or otherwise of doing so – and the laws and restrictions that apply in the state in question. 

The states where both online and retail wagering is permitted are:

• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin

The states where only online sports betting is allowed are:

• Maine
• Tennessee
• Vermont
• Wyoming

You can only place a sports bet in person in the following:

• Mississippi
• Montana
• Nebraska
• New Mexico
• North Dakota
• South Dakota

States where sports betting is NOT legal

There are 12 states where no form of sports betting is legal at all.

They are:

• Alabama
• Alaska
• California
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Utah

The reasons for its persisting illegality vary from state to state. It is hard, for instance, to envisage Utah ever legalizing sports betting. The anti-gambling Mormon church still holds sway, and the state’s criminal code specifies that online gambling must stay illegal – even in the unlikely event that it is federally legalized. 

Elsewhere, there is more hope for sports teams, major gambling operators, and other proponents of sports betting. Although it is interesting to note that the two most populous states in the Union still do not host legal sports betting. 

In California, this is explained by the grip exerted by federally recognized tribes on the gambling scene. Texas, meanwhile, is home to powerful political forces opposed to gambling expansion.  

States where legalization might be on the horizon

There are some states among the dozen where sports betting remains illegal that could switch their position in the near future. 

Determined efforts were made in Missouri during the 2024 legislative session and, following a public vote, legal sports betting may launch in 2025. 

There have also been attempts in Georgia, Minnesota and Oklahoma that suggest there is some support for legalization, without it appearing that change is imminent. 

Texas passed a House bill in 2023, but it made no progress in the Senate and there is little optimism that any progress will be made in 2025. 

California, meanwhile, put online sports betting to a public vote in 2022 and it attracted paltry support from the electorate. If legalization is on the horizon in California, it is an extremely distant one. 

In states where sports betting is illegal, you may be able to access offshore sportsbooks. However, we strongly advise against gambling with unlicensed operators.