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US Sports Betting Legal Tracker: State by State Status

Updated May 14, 2019
  • PASPA, the law that prohibited states from legalizing sports betting, has been struck down by the Supreme Court of the United States.
  • 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

Map showing the legal status of sports betting in the US as of May 2019.
Map showing the legal status of sports betting in the US as of May 2019.

Legal Status of Sports Betting by State

*Last updated May 4, 2019

STATE IS SPORTS BETTING LEGAL? HAS SPORTS-BETTING LEGISLATION BEEN PASSED? ARE ANY WHEELS IN MOTION? NOTES
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).
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 YES “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 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.
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.
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.
 New York MAYBE 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.
Arkansas NO YES YES “Sports betting was legalized at casinos in 2018 through a constitutional amendment,” per Gambling Compliance Outlook, US Sports Betting Tracker March 2019. But regulations still need to be put in place before sports betting can actually begin, and it is expected that the first Arkansas sportsbook will open in the second half of 2019.
Connecticut NO YES YES Pro-actively 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.
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.
Michigan NO NO YES Eight sports-betting related bills have been tabled in Michigan but none have been voted on in the House of Representatives or Senate, per DFP. The earliest sports betting will be legalized in Michigan is late 2018, per WZZM13.
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.
Wash., DC NO NO YES “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.
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.
Illinois NO NO NOT ANYMORE A bill that would have “legalized betting on individual professional, amateur and college games … at bricks-and-mortar [casinos] and on the internet” was before the state legislature in May 2018, per the Chicago Tribune, but the session adjourned without a sports-betting bill being passed. Now Illinois is unlikely to legalize sports betting before 2019.
Indiana NO NO NOT ANYMORE Two bills which would have legalized sports betting in IN (pending PASPA’s defeat) died before receiving a vote, per IBJ.
 Kansas NO NO NOT ANYMORE Legislation that would legalize sports betting was introduced in 2018, but was not voted on before the state legislature adjourned, per KansasCity.com.
 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.
Colorado 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.
 Maine 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.
 Nebraska NO NO NO Awaiting sports-betting legislation.
 New Hampshire NO NO NO Awaiting sports-betting legislation.
North Carolina 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.
Tennessee NO NO NO Awaiting sports-betting legislation.
Texas NO NO NO Awaiting sports-betting legislation.
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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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).

  • 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).

  • 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.

  • 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.