WHERE TO BET ON SPORTS IN THE USA

Posted August 26, 2019

IS SPORTS BETTING LEGAL in the United States?

Until May 2018, betting on sports in the USA was essentially restricted to placing a wager in person at a sportsbook at Nevada. That all changed when the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), also Called the Bradley Act, has been struck down by the Supreme Court. Now that PASPA is dead, each state has the capacity to establish its own legislation for online and on site sports gambling.
Legislation and rules surrounding sports betting fluctuate from state to state. New Jersey, for example, moved extremely quickly and passed a law to permit legal sports betting online and in person in June 2018. West Virginia and Pennsylvania currently allow in-person betting but not online. Other states, such as California and New York, have to legalize sports wagering.
HOW DO YOU BET ON SPORTS LEGALLY in the United States?
Sports gambling in the United States is regulated on a state-by-state basis, which means you have to live in or go to a state that has legalized sports betting so as to bet on sports legally (see map below). As soon as you’ve entered a state where sports gambling is legal, it’s time to obtain a legal sportsbook, either online or simply by visiting a brick-and-mortar place (and again, this can change state-by-state).
WHERE CAN I BET ON SPORTS IN the USA?
A map of where to wager on sports in the USA WHERE IS SPORTS BETTING LEGAL in the United States?
Nevada
Not much has changed in Nevada post-PASPA. Bettors can place wagers in person in one of the many sportsbooks across the state. Most sportsbooks do offer cellular wagering within state limitations but online accounts must be enrolled, verified, and funded in person in the sportsbooks.
Find out More about betting on sports in Nevada
New Jersey
New Jersey became among the first states to modify its regulation post-PASPA in June 2018. Bettors are now able to place wagers on sports in a number of brick-and-mortar sportsbooks in addition to through online apps as long as you are within state limits.
Find out More about gambling on sports at New Jersey
West Virginia
West Virginia began offering legal sports gambling at August 2018 and is currently available at sportsbooks in a few casinos. In late December 2018, online wagering became accessible through the BetLucky program, and other major players are expected to be online soon.
Learn more about betting on sports in West Virginia.
Pennsylvania
The Keystone State established sports betting at November 2018 and now has five sportsbooks across the state. Online betting is not an option just yet but that may occur as soon as 2019.
Learn more about betting on sports at Pennsylvania.
Mississippi
Mississippi flipped the switch and started accepting single-game wagering on sports in August 2018. Sports betting, like all gaming in the country, is presently restricted to land- and water-based casinos. The law does permit mobile sports gambling on casino property, though it isn’t presently offered.
Learn more about sports gambling in Mississippi.
Delaware
Delaware moved fast post-PASPA and started accepting sports gambling at its casinos on June 5. The current law allows for online and mobile wagering, though it currently is not offered.
Learn more about sports gambling in Delaware.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island started accepting sports bets in late November 2018 in the Twin River Casino and then in December 2018 at the Twin River Tiverton Casino. The legal age for gambling on sports at Rhode Island is 18, whereas its 21 in most other nations. Online sports gambling is legal as of March 25, 2019, but is not yet available.
Learn more about sports gambling in Rhode Island.
New Mexico
New Mexico took its first sports wager in October 2018 in the Santa Ana Star Casino & Hotel. No new law was passed, but following PASPA, sports betting is allowed because a gambling compact which the casino has the state. Sports gambling remains prohibited online and elsewhere in the nation.
Arkansas
Sports betting officially established in Arkansas on July 1, 2019, when the first legal sports bet was accepted at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort. Presently, Oaklawn is the sole real estate to provide sports gambling. Arkansas becomes the ninth state in the country to legalize sports gambling.
WHAT OTHER STATES WILL LEGALIZE SPORTS BETTING SOON?
Sports betting should be lawful in a few more countries in 2019 and lots more are expected to roll out fresh legislation in the next several years.
California
A set of lawmakers from the Golden State are hoping to legalize sports gambling since Sen. Bill Dodd and Assemblyman Adam Gray introduced a ballot measure in late June 2019. This would give Californians the opportunity to vote on changing the state Constitution — and legalize sports betting — in the November 2020 election.
Connecticut
Connecticut, together with New York, needed a state-level law set up in 2017 ahead of their legalization from the federal government. Sports betting didn’t come to be a reality in 2018 however there’s hope for 2019 as a brand new invoice appeared in March that would legalize sports gambling.
Find out more about gambling on sports at Connecticut.
Illinois
Sports gambling in Illinois is official after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed it into law in late June following lawmakers and the Senate passed a broad expansion of gaming that includes sports gambling in earlier in the month.
Learn more about gambling on sports in Illinois.
Indiana
Indiana has moved quickly in 2019 to make legalized sports gambling a fact and on February 26 the state Senate passed a gaming bill (SB 552) which would comprise sports betting. The bill moved through the House in late April and obtained Gov. Eric Holcomb’s signature on May 8, meaning legalized sports betting from Indiana is on its way. The projected launch date is September 1, 2019.
Find out more about gambling on sports in Indiana.
Iowa
Sports betting is officially legal in Iowa following Gov. Kim Reynolds signed bill SF 617 into law on May 13, 2019. Iowa is looking at summertime 2019 for the launching of sports gambling. The new law will allow for both retail and mobile wagering, though cellular accounts will require in-person registration through the end of 2020.
Learn more about gambling on sports in Iowa
Maine
Maine has taken a drama out of Illinois’ and Indiana’s playbooks in passing a sports gambling bill in the last minute. Bill LD 553 made it through the Senate on June 18, 2019, and then was approved unanimously by the House. The bill now faces additional votes along with a touch from the Governor, but it’s expected to be set into legislation in 2019.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced plans to legalize sports betting in the state when he introduced a bill to the state’s legislature in mid-January, 2019. Baker’s bill, or among those four others which were introduced in mid-January, is expected to pass, meaning legalized sports gambling in Massachusetts must be arriving shortly.
Find out more about betting on sports at Massachusetts.
Michigan
It seemed as it online sports gambling was to become a reality in Michigan when lawmakers passed a bill in late December 2018 that could legalize it. A few days later, however, and only three days before leaving office, Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed the bill. Lawmakers will continue to try to legalize it but it will likely be 2021 before online sports betting is permitted in Michigan.
Montana
Montana became the ninth largest country in the country — and first in 2019 — to legalize sports betting when Gov. Steve Bullock signed a bill on May 3. The nation lottery will oversee sports betting betting which is administered through kiosks and mobile apps. The state expects to launch sports gambling by the fall of 2019.
New York
New York is another nation that had a state law which legalized sports gambling on the novels before PASPA fell in May 2018. Back in 2013, New York voted to allow the building of four new casinos which would also accept sports wagers. The Supreme Court’s decision last May triggered legalized sports gambling in New York and all that was required was for the New York State Gambling Commission to pass a pair of sport wagering rules. That occurred on June 10, 2019, making sports gambling officially legal.
Learn more about betting on sports in New York.
Oregon
Oregon has a law in place that enables some forms of sports gambling and actually utilized to offer you a football charge card through its state lottery, even though that ended about 10 years ago. The state plans to roll out single-game sports wagering through the state lottery and it’s targeting September 8, 2019, since the launch date.
Tennessee
Tennessee became the fourth country to legalize sports betting at 2019 when Gov. Bill Lee returned the Tennessee Sports Gaming Act (HB001/SB0016) to the General Assembly on May 24 with no trademark, allowing the bill to become law. Sports betting in Tennessee is going to be unique in that it’ll be online just and there will not be some brick-and-mortar places.
Find out more about sports betting in Tennessee.
Washington D.C.
The nation’s capital joined the sports gaming arena in late 2018, passing a law that will enable its lottery to administer legalized sports betting. There are not any plans for casinos and the big-name apps will not be accessible within the authority, but there will be an internet program available, as well as brick-and-mortar locations run from the DC Lottery. Expectations are for it to be live by September 2019.
Learn more about betting on sports at Washington D.C.
SPORTS BETTING FAQS
How can you bet on sports?
There are several distinct ways to bet on sportsbetting. The most common ways are generally betting on the moneyline (who will win the game), the spread (which team will win or not lose by a predetermined margin of points), and also the total (whether or not the entire amount of points will be Over or Under a predetermined total). Learn more about sports betting basics and strategies within our How to Bet section.
Is sports gambling legal in Europe?
Sports betting is governed on a country-by-country basis in Europe. Online sports gambling is legal in many European nations, like the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Spain, and Russia.
Is sports gambling legal in Canada?
Broadly , yes. Canadians can put sports bets using their provincial lotteries and may also set wagers with offshore sportsbooks who operate in a legal gray area in Canada.
Are online betting sites and apps secure?
For the most part, online gambling websites are safe. To make sure that you are protected, be sure to place your wagers using a legal sportsbook from the USA as all these are heavily controlled by governmental authorities.
Which are offshore sports gambling apps and websites?
Offshore sports gambling apps and sites refer to internet sportsbooks that operate outside of the USA. Betting at these sites while in the USA is illegal. Check out Covers’ sportsbook review page for a listing of legal sportsbooks in the united states.