Legal Sports Betting States: Where to bet online, mobile & in-person

The table below shows all of the legal sports betting states and illegal sports betting states, whether that’s online or at a retail location.

You’ll notice many states are pending, meaning they’ve legalized sports betting in some capacity, but are still in the process of getting things up and running.

North Carolina is the most recent to go live as of March 11th, 2024.

Whether you’re a fan of basketball, hockey, or baseball, there’s something for everyone. So be sure to mark your calendars and get ready for some exciting sporting action!

There are still many U.S. states where no form of legal sports betting exists, although some of them allow people over the age of 18 to play Daily Fantasy Sports for money.

Among them several states have legislation to legalize sports betting in progress, while some others have yet to make any meaningful steps towards legalization.

The following states are yet to legalize sports betting in any form. However, some within this list are far more engaged with the legislative process of legalization. This list doesn’t include states who’ve signed legislature legalizing sports betting that’re in the process of establishing the rules and regulations.

Sports betting in Alaska is currently limited to Daily Fantasy Sports, with online, mobile and retail sports wagering still illegal.

The cogs are beginning to grind however, with Governor Mike Dunleavy proposing two bills in 2020.

The bills expired in May of that year, after the state legislature closed early due to Covid 19. Despite this the Governor’s support is a big positive for sports wagering in the Last Frontier.

Sports betting remains illegal in Alabama, with the most recent bill aimed at changing that foiled earlier in 2021. It failed to get to a vote at the house of representatives after passing the state senate.

Sports betting in AZ became legal on September 9, the opening day of the 2021/22 NFL Season. Players can now bet on sports in the Grand Canyon State in person, online and on mobile.

At present Arkansas sports betting is legal but only when it comes to bets placed at physical retail sportsbooks within the state.

The bill HB1942 was introduced in April, 2021 to allow physical casinos to operate online pools, but there has been almost no movement on it since.

Sports betting remains illegal in the CA at the time of writing and chances of that changing before 2023 are looking fairly remote at present.

A tribal initiative to legalize sports betting at casinos and racetracks in the state and a legislative bid aiming to allow mobile and online betting through platforms that are associated with those premises are both ongoing.

Sports betting in Colorado was signed into law in November, 2019 and the state now has some of the most diverse range of physical, online and mobile sports wagering options of any state in the union.

CT Sports betting is fully underway, with retail premises taking their first legal sports bets on September 30th, 2021 and online sites launching on October 7, 2021 in time for Thursday Night Football.

Physical sports betting is legal in the First State and the state’s three ‘racinos’ first started taking bets back in June 2018. Online betting is also legal, but has yet to launch within the state and there appears to be no clear timeline as to when this might happen.

Sunshine State sports betting remains illegal for now, but is edging closer after a compact between the state legislature and the seminole tribe in May 2021. Sports betting did launch briefly in 2021, however this quickly changed, with sports betting still not live in FL, something they’ll hope to change in 2023.

The Peach State failed in a bid to get sports betting on the 2022 ballot during the 2021 legislative session, but it was still a promising step for a state in which all forms of sports betting remain illegal and there are no tribal or commercial casinos in operation.

The Aloha State appears a long way from legalizing sports betting. Currently there aren’t even any land based casinos, commercial or tribal, within the state meaning it keeps company with Utah as one of the least likely places to legalize wagering on sports in the near future.

Sports betting in Idaho remains illegal with little meaningful effort to change that since PASPA was repealed in 2018. From that day to this day no state legislator has sought to submit a bill paving the way for sports betting, either online or retail, in the state.

Online sports betting and physical sports betting both became legal in the first half of 2020. Previously, players had to register for online betting at a licensed physical casino premises, however now they’re able to sign-up anywhere in IL.

Sports betting became legal in the Hoosier state in 2019 and IN players can now bet on sports online, on mobile and in physical locations within state lines.

The Hawkeye State has been fully legal for online, mobile and physical sports wagering since May 2019 and boasts a very good menu of online sportsbook options to choose from.

Kansas is the state to have most recently legalized sports betting, with wagering going live in KS as of September 2022.

The most recent state to launch online sports betting is Kentucky, who went live on September 28th, 2023 in time for Week 4 of the NFL season.

Louisiana sports betting has been legal since June 22, 2021, with sports betting in LA officially going live throughout the state as of January 28, 2022.

Sports betting is legal in Maine at the time of publish, but is currently not yet operational, as licensing and other things are being figured out between operators and state legislature. Launch is expected in 2023.

MD voters approved sports betting in the state in November 2020 and it was signed into law in May 2021. Maryland sports betting is fully operational as of Nov. 23, 2022.

Sports betting was recently made legal in MA with Gov. Charlie Baker signing their sports betting bill into law on Aug. 10. Launch day was on March 10th 2023, just in time for March Madness.

MI sports betting has been legal since January 2021 and players can bet online or via mobile anywhere in the Great Lakes State, as well in the many retail sportsbooks situated there.

Sports betting is illegal in Minnesota and is likely to remain so in the near future. Legislators have shown interest in advancing sports betting. The state still needs to convince the tribal casinos within MN that legalized sports betting will not be harmful for their existing gaming business.

MS was among the select group of states to make sports betting legal in 2018 and retail, online and mobile betting are all legal. At the time of writing, players still have to place their online bets from licensed physical casino premises.

Senator Denny Hoskins’ attempts to get sports betting legalized in MO in 2021 were derailed, but he will reportedly pre-file a bill for the 2022 legislative session in December, as per Missourinet.

Sports betting is legal in Montana after it officially launched through the Montana Lottery in March 2020. The only legal means of Montana sports betting is through the lottery’s kiosks and website with sports wagers limited to $250 in person or $1,000 online.

In-person sports betting was officially legalized in Nebraska as of May 2021. However bettors had to wait until 2022 to place their first wagers with preparatory work still to be done before sportsbooks can open their doors. Online and mobile wagering remains illegal.

The original betting state, Nevada sports betting has been legal since 1949. Players have a vast range of retail sportsbooks to choose from alongside plentiful mobile and online betting options.

NJ spearheaded the push to repeal PASPA and has been a full-service sports betting state since 2018, providing access to a huge range of online and mobile betting operators alongside retail sportsbooks

Sports betting remains illegal in New Mexico with the exception of retail betting at a handful of tribal betting, which operate under an existing Class III gaming compact. For now, a meaningful movement towards the legalization of online and mobile sports betting has made little progress.

In-person NY Sports Betting has been legal since 2019. Legislators then gave the go ahead for mobile betting in April 2021. Online sports betting sites are now also live in the state for those in the Empire state to enjoy.

Sports betting is legal in North Carolina and is the most recent state to launch as of March 11th, 2024. This launch came in time for March Madness and allows a maximum of 12 online sportsbooks to operate in the Tar Heel State.

All forms of sports betting remain illegal in North Dakota at the time of writing. Four bills have been introduced on the subject during the 2021 legislative session, but none were able to progress beyond the house.

Ohio Sports Betting is now legal with it being legalized in the state as of January 1st, with online and retail wagering in OH launching on this date.

Sports betting on tribal land is legal for Oklahomans after Governor Kevin Stitt renegotiated gaming compacts with the Comanche Nation and Otoe-Missouria Tribe. Mobile betting is allowed but only geo-fenced on approved tribal premises. Non-tribal sports betting, both online and retail remains illegal.

Physical and online sports betting is live and legal in the Beaver State and has been since the fall of 2019. Currently it’s only available through the State lottery and their The Scoreboard sports betting app. Betting on college sports remains prohibited.

PA is a full-service sports betting state where it’s been legal to bet on sports online, on mobile and in person since 2019.

The Keystone State has a big selection of betting sites to choose from making it one of the best places to be a bettor in the USA.

Rhode Island was early to the sports betting party, launching in-person wagering in 2018 and online and mobile options in 2019. At present online betting options remain restrictive. Players can only bet through the Rhode Island Lottery and have to register in-person at licensed premises within the state, however this is expected to change in the near-future.

Sports betting in South Carolina is illegal, with no prospect of that changing in 2021.

At the time of writing legal South Dakota sports betting is limited to bets placed in person at casinos within the city of Deadwood.

Legal sports betting in TN is a rare beast in that it’s legal to bet online and via mobile, but not at physical locations.

The state moved to legalize sports wagering in 2019 and a raft of quality operators launched their sites in November 2020.

All forms of sports betting remain illegal in Texas at the time of writing. Multiple bills have came under consideration through legislative sessions, but nothing has been legalized in North America’s second most populous state.

All forms of gambling are currently illegal in the state of Utah. Closely entwined with the Mormon faith it’s one of five states in the US that doesn’t have a state lottery. Arguably one of the most likely candidates never to legalize sports betting.

Sports betting is legal and operational in Vermont. Their launch came just in time for the wild card weekend of the NFL playoffs in January of 2024 after almost a year of setting up the state regulations.

Like Tennessee, Virginians are able to bet legally through a healthy range of sports betting sites and mobile apps. Retail betting is also now legal within the state. No retail sites are currently up and running but they are expected to begin appearing in the next few years.

Online and retail sports betting are legal in DC. At present retail betting at sports stadiums, restaurants and bars remains the more popular method among the state’s players due to there only being one online and mobile betting option, the district lottery owned Gambet DC.

Retail and mobile betting are legal but only on tribal premises. Online sports wagering and mobile wagering outside of tribal casino premises remains illegal at the time of writing.

WV sports bettors have been enjoying a full service across online, mobile and in-person sports betting since 2019 with players able to place wagers at a wide selection of casinos, sportsbooks and online betting sites within the Mountaineer State.

Sports betting has yet to be formally legalized in Wisconsin, however the Oneida Nation became the first tribe to renegotiate their compact with the to allow sports wagering on at their casino premises in August. This is an important first step. Mobile and online betting remain illegal.

The Cowboy State went legal in September 2021, just in time for the NFL season and bettors can now place wagers on sports at two major online sportsbooks, with at least two more poised to enter the market in the coming months.

The Inquirer is not an online gambling operator, or a gambling site. We provide this information about sports betting for entertainment purposes only.