US Sports Betting Legal Tracker: State by State Status
Updated March 3rd, 2020
Estimated Read Time: 9 minutes
Published May 18, 2018
- PASPA, the law that prohibited states from legalizing sports betting, was struck down by the Supreme Court of the United States in May 2018.
- Individual states are now free to legalize and regulate sports betting within their borders.
- Below, find:
- A map illustrating where sports betting is legal;
- A timeline detailing recent significant sports-betting news and events; and
- A state-by-state chart tracking the legal status of sports betting across all 50 states.
Sports Betting Legalization Map
Legal Status of Sports Betting by State
*Last updated Mar. 3, 2020.
| STATE | IS SPORTS BETTING LEGAL? | HAS SPORTS-BETTING LEGISLATION BEEN PASSED? | ARE ANY WHEELS IN MOTION? | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | YES | YES | N/A | “Sports betting was legalized at casinos in 2018 through a constitutional amendment,” per Gambling Compliance Outlook, US Sports Betting Tracker March 2019. The first bets were placed on July 1 at Oaklawn Racing Casino. |
| Colorado | YES | YES | N/A | Sports betting was legalized in Colorado on Nov. 6, 2019, but betting operations will not be active until mid-2020. |
| Delaware | YES | YES | N/A | Delaware started to offer sports betting on June 5th, 2018, becoming the first new state to do so (outside of Nevada). |
| Illinois | YES | YES | N/A | Although the state legislature passed sports-betting legislation signed into law by Governor J.B Pritzker on June 28, 2019, the Illinois Gaming Board continues to struggle with the resources needed to implement the regulatory structure required by the legislation. |
| Indiana | YES | YES | N/A | HB 1015 was signed into law on May 8, 2019, authorizing sports betting at riverboat casinos and other establishments throughout the state. The gaming commission approved 13 locations to take bets as early as September 1, 2019. |
| Iowa | YES | YES | N/A | Iowa legalized sports betting on May 13, 2019, when Governor Reynolds signed a sports-betting and fantasy-sports bill into law. |
| Mississippi | YES | YES | N/A | Sports betting officially started in Mississippi on Aug. 1, 2018, with the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi and Gold Strike Casino in Tunica offering the first wagers. |
| Montana | YES | YES | N/A | “Gov. Steve Bullock signed a bill Friday [May 3rd] for the Montana State Lottery to oversee wagering on sports through kiosks and mobile devices,” per AP News. |
| Nevada | YES | YES | N/A | Sports betting has been legal in Nevada since 1931. |
| New Hampshire | YES | YES | YES | Legislation legalizing sports betting in NH was passed in mid-July, but it’s still unclear when the first bets will actually be placed. |
| New Jersey | YES | YES | N/A | Governor Phil Murphy signed NJ’s sports-betting bill on June 11th, 2018, officially allowing venues such as Monmouth Park and the Borgata to start accepting wagers, which they did on June 14th. |
| New Mexico | YES | YES | N/A | The Santa Ana Star Casino became the first to offer sports betting in New Mexico in October 2018, per Nicholaus Garcia. |
| New York | YES | YES | YES | A bill that would legalize sports betting in NY was before the state legislature but failed to be passed before the legislative session ended on June 20th, meaning it will have to wait until 2019. That said, a 2013 constitutional amendment may have already legalized betting in the state, and regulators are crafting guidelines to govern sports betting even without additional legislation. |
| North Carolina | YES | YES | YES | Governor Roy Cooper signed bill S 154 into law on July 26, 2019, legalizing sports betting at tribal casinos located in the western part of the state. Another bill authorizing more widespread establishments remains active in the legislature. |
| Oregon | YES | YES | YES | Sports betting in Oregon started on Tuesday, Aug, 27th, at Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City, reports the Oregonian. |
| Pennsylvania | YES | YES | N/A | For all intents and purposes, sports betting is now legal in PA. Existing legislation legalized sports betting, but was not in force due to its conflict with PASPA. The state’s gaming commission can authorize any gaming hall to take bets. However, Pennsylvania’s current legal landscape effectively places a 41% tax on sportsbooks, plus a $10 million licensing fee. As a result, it is unclear when sports betting will become active in the state. |
| Rhode Island | YES | YES | N/A | Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo signed the state’s sports-betting bill into law. only two RI casinos are able to accept single-game bets. |
| Tennessee | YES | YES | N/A | Tennessee passed the Tennessee Sports Gaming Act on June 4, 2019. The law is the first of its kind, expressly allowing online sports betting, but prohibiting other forms of gambling, including casinos, in the state. Betting is likely to begin in early 2020. |
| Wash., DC | YES | YES | N/A | “A bill to legalize online and retail betting was signed by the Mayor on 1/28. It must undergo a mandatory 60-day congressional review before it can be officially enacted,” per Gambling Compliance Outlook, US Sports Betting Tracker March 2019. |
| West Virginia | YES | YES | N/A | Sports betting started in West Virginia on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, at the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, per ESPN. |
| Connecticut | NO | YES | YES | Connecticut proactively modified its state laws to expressly allow in-state regulation of “wagering on sporting events to the extent permitted by state and federal law.” Gov. Dannel Malloy is considering calling a sports-betting oriented special session of the General Assembly to finalize legalization in the state. |
| Kansas | NO | YES | N/A | The state Senate approved a sports-betting legalization bill on Feb. 28th. |
| Michigan | NO | YES | YES | On Dec. 20, 2019, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed into law a series of bills that legalized sportsbetting in the state. |
| Arizona | NO | NO | YES | “A bill that would allow tribes to operate betting kiosks at bars was passed by a Senate committee on 2/26. The bill would require tribes and the governor to agree the expansion does not violate gaming compacts,” per Gambling Compliance Outlook, US Sports Betting Tracker March 2019. |
| California | NO | NO | YES | A constitutional amendment has been introduced which would legalize sports betting in California. It has yet to receive a vote in either the state assembly or senate. |
| Kentucky | NO | NO | YES | Legislation that would have “encourage[d] sports wagering in the state” failed to pass in 2017, per Louisville Courier-Journal. But a new bill to legalize sports betting in Kentucky has passed committee stage and is awaiting a full vote. |
| Maine | NO | NO | YES | A bill that would legalize sports betting will be in front of the governor as soon as the 2020 session begins. Unless Gov. Janet Mills vetoes it within three days, the bill will become law. |
| Missouri | NO | NO | YES | Legislation to legalize sports betting in MO is awaiting a Senate vote. |
| Ohio | NO | NO | YES | “Some people believe the Ohio Constitution must be amended. Others believe, based on the language in [a] 2009 amendment to the state constitution that allowed four casinos, that Ohio must permit sports betting once it begins in neighboring states,” notes Cleveland.com. State Senator Joe Schiavoni is set to introduce a bill legalizing sports betting at Ohio casinos, per WFMJ.com. |
| Georgia | NO | NO | NOT ANYMORE | “Two constitutional amendments were introduced … while another bill would have authorized the GA Lottery to license ten online betting operators. The bills died when the legislature failed to meet the crossover deadline on 3/7,” per Gambling Compliance Outlook, US Sports Betting Tracker March 2019. |
| Louisiana | NO | NO | NOT ANYMORE | Legislation that would have put the question of legalizing sports betting to voters was defeated in 2018, per WWL.com: “Louisiana denied legislation that would have put the issue up for voters this fall.” |
| Maryland | NO | NO | NOT ANYMORE | Legislation that would have put the question of legalizing sports betting to voters stalled before it cleared the state senate, per the Washington Post. |
| Oklahoma | NO | NO | NOT ANYMORE | Provisions which would have legalized sports betting in OK were struck from a recently-passed bill, per SportsHandle.com. |
| South Carolina | NO | NO | NOT ANYMORE | “Pro-gambling legislation … officially died when the regular session ended [in early May 2018],” per the Charleston Post and Courier. |
| Alabama | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. Not even Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) has been legalized in AL. |
| Alaska | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. |
| Florida | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. |
| Hawai’i | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. |
| Idaho | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. |
| Massachusetts | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation, contrary to reports elsewhere. The state’s Gaming Commission has stated that “Massachusetts would have to alter several state laws in order to legalize sports betting,” per MassLive.com. |
| Minnesota | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. |
| Nebraska | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. |
| North Dakota | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. |
| South Dakota | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. |
| Texas | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. |
| Utah | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. (Don’t hold your breath.) |
| Vermont | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. |
| Virginia | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. |
| Washington | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. |
| Wisconsin | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. |
| Wyoming | NO | NO | NO | Awaiting sports-betting legislation. |
Sports Betting Legalization Timeline of Events
- Nov 6, 2019: Sports betting becomes legal in Colorado via referendum.
- Aug 27, 2019: The first legal sports wagers are placed in Oregon.
- July 12, 2019: Sports-betting legislation is passed in New Hampshire, but no timeline is established for the start of actual wagering.
- May 13, 2019: Iowa legalizes sports betting.
- May 3, 2019: Montana legalizes sports betting.
- Aug. 30, 2018: Sports betting officially opened in West Virginia. The Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races accepted West Virginia’s first legal sports wager.
- Aug. 1, 2018: Sports betting officially opened in Mississippi with the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi and Gold Strike Casino in Tunica offering the first wagers to the public.
- June 22, 2018: Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo signed the state’s sports-betting bill into law, though only two RI casinos are able to accept single-game bets, and they won’t be set-up to do so until autumn 2019.
- June 20, 2018: New York’s legislative session ended without passage of the sports-betting bill that was before the NY State Legislature, confirming a previous statement from Governor Cuomo that no such bill would be passed in 2018.
- June 18, 2018: lawmakers in Kentucky are writing a new bill that would legalize sports betting in the state.
Bipartisan group of state lawmakers say they’ll write a bill to legalize, regulate sports betting in Kentucky, generate “$5.5 million to nearly $26 million per year” in tax revenue pic.twitter.com/dQaPT2ZjSM
— Ryland Barton (@RylandKY) June 18, 2018
- June 11, 2018: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed the sports-betting bill passed by the state legislature. Betting will commence at locations such as Monmouth Park racetrack and Borgata Hotel Casino on Thursday, June 14th.
- June 7, 2018: New Jersey’s sports-betting bill was passed unanimously by the state legislature and is now in the hands of Governor Phil Murphy. As soon as it is signed, venues such as Monmouth Park will start offering sports wagering. But Murphy has said he has no timetable for signing the bill.
- June 5, 2018: Delaware officially started accepting sports-betting wagers.
- June 1, 2018: NY Governor Andrew Cuomo stated that New York will not pass a sports-betting bill in 2018 as there is not enough time remaining in the legislative session (which ends on June 20th).
- May 31, 2018: Delaware will officially become the first new state to offer sports betting, starting Tuesday, June 5th, 2018.
- May 31, 2018: Illinois’ current legislative has adjourned without passage of a sports-betting bill. It is now unlikely that the state will have legal sports betting in place in 2018.
After Late Flurry, Legal Illinois Sports Betting Looks Like It’s On Hold For Now https://t.co/aE5YYYkO3S #ilpolitihub
— IL Politihub (@ILPolitihub) May 30, 2018
- May 22, 2018: Regulators in New York are treating a 2013 constitutional amendment as legalizing sports betting. They are currently crafting guidelines to govern sports betting in the state even if additional legislation is not passed.
- May 21, 2018: experts in Pennsylvania estimate it will still be six months to a year before the state offers sports betting, despite existing legislation rendering it legal for all intents and purposes.
- May 19, 2018: New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney asked Monmouth Park racetrack (which intended to offer its first sports bets on May 28, a.k.a. Memorial Day, to hold off until new regulations are in place. The new timeline suggests New Jersey will start offering sports betting some time in June 2018.
- May 19, 2018: Rhode Island officials are hoping to have sports betting up and running in the state by October 2018, per WPRI.com.
- May 18, 2018: Mississippi’s Gaming Commission has proposed a set of rules to regulate sports betting in the state. If approved, casinos in Mississippi could start accepting sports bets as early as July 21st.
- May 18, 2018: Governor John Carney believes Delaware’s existing legal framework already allows the state to offer single-game sports betting. Delaware is preparing “to launch full-scale sports gaming … next month,” i.e. June 2018.
- May 17, 2018: Following in the footsteps of the NFL, which had long opposed sports betting, the NCAA issued a statement that it supports federal regulation and oversight of sports betting: “the NCAA supports a federal model addressing legalized gambling and has suspended its championship host policy related to sports wagering.”
- The new policy allows NCAA championship competitions to be held in states that allow sports betting (including Nevada).
The NCAA has decided to enable championship play in states where sports betting is legal. If you’re wondering about when/how Las Vegas gets might get tapped to host, the details are in this story. https://t.co/W3GT7ac4K7
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) May 17, 2018
- May 17, 2018: Rhode Island Lottery Director Gerald Aubin appears to believe that existing legislation in the state authorizes sports betting, but it is unclear whether lawmakers agree.
- May 15, 2018: Monmouth Racetrack in Oceanport, NJ, states that it will be ready to accept sports bets on Memorial Day (May 28, 2018).
Monmouth Park had betting machines shipped there weeks ago from Nevada. Can now turn them on. Have spent last couple months getting sports bar ready to become sports book. pic.twitter.com/KDWH1vTeCx
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) May 14, 2018
- May 15, 2018: Casinos in Mississippi — including Island View in Gulfport — are aiming to have sports betting in place as of summer 2018.
- May 14, 2018: shortly after PASPA is struck down, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch states that he will introduce a federal sports betting bill.
- May 14, 2018: PASPA is ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States’ (SCOTUS) ruling in Murphy vs. National Collegiate Athletic Association (Murphy).
- Post-Murphy ruling, the NFL appears to ease its historical opposition to sports betting.
The NFL says, in the wake of today’s ruling, that it will call on Congress to enact a “core regulatory framework” for legalized sports betting.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 14, 2018
- Jan. 2018: the NBA and MLB start lobbying in certain states for legislation legalizing sports betting, trying to ensure that the inevitable bills include provisions that are favorable to the leagues.
- 2017-18: several states (including Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia) pass laws legalizing and regulating sports betting if and when it is no longer prohibited by federal law.
- Jun. 2017: SCOTUS agrees to hear New Jersey’s appeal of Murphy.
- Oct. 2016: New Jersey appeals Murphy to SCOTUS.
- 2013-2016: New Jersey loses Murphy at every level of court before the case reaches SCOTUS.
- Aug. 2012: The NCAA and all major pro sports leagues sue New Jersey over the legislation that purports to legalize sports betting, arguing that it violates PASPA, a federal law that requires all states to enact sports-betting prohibitions.
- The case is styled: Murphy vs. National Collegiate Athletic Association (Murphy).
- Mid-2012: the New Jersey legislature passes a bill legalizing sports betting at racetracks and casinos.
- 2011: New Jersey voters approve an amendment to the state’s constitution allowing the state legislature to legalize sports betting.
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