Alaska Sports Betting Bill To Be Considered Today

• An Alaska online sports betting bill will be considered today
• Introduced in March, HB 145 will have its first hearing in the Labor and Commerce Committee
• The bill call for the legalization of online sports betting

Online sports betting may be coming to the Final Frontier.

An Alaska online sports betting bill today will have its first hearing in the House Labor and Commerce committee. Rep. David Nelson (R-18) introduced HB 145 to the House of Representatives in March.

The bill calls for the legalization of just online sports betting in the 49th state.

Only Legalizes Alaska Online Sports Betting

Nelson’s bill will be considered today at 3:45 p.m. GMT. Alaska currently allows games of chance and bingo, but does not allow full-scale casino gaming.

His legislation, if approved, would allow for up to 10 online sports betting operators to do business in Alaska. Online sports betting operators would not be tethered to any brick-and-mortar gaming elements in the state.

If more than 10 applicants are interested in acquiring a license, the Department of Revenue will award them based on projected gross revenues, relevant experience in other states, and projected tax revenues.

The bill seeks experienced operators to launch Alaska’s sports betting markets. The only operators allowed to apply for a license are those who currently offer online sports betting in at least three other states.

License fees for operators would be set at $100,000, with operators subjected to a 20% tax rate on adjusted gross sports betting revenue.

Other bill details:

• Sets the minimum sports betting age at 21
• Allows betting on college sports
• Allows betting on the Olympics
• Does not regulate daily fantasy sports
• Allows user accounts to be funded through credit cards

Alaska Sports Betting Market Likely Small

If online sports betting is legalized for the Final Frontier, the state’s sports betting market is likely to be a small one. Alaska is one of the least populous states in the country with just a shade over 740,000 inhabitants. The only two states with a smaller population than Alaska are Vermont and Wyoming.

Vermont gaming regulators are predicting just about $6.1 million in tax revenues for the entirety of the 2025 fiscal year, which ends in June.

Alaska currently has no casino gambling and has not been a major player in sports betting legislation before. This is the first bill introduced in several years to legalize online sports betting in the state and it’s unknown if there is the necessary support to see it across the finish line.

With no professional sports franchises, or Division I colleges, the Alaska sports betting market is likely to be fairly small. No other state in the U.S. with legalized sports betting is home to zero professional sports teams or Division I colleges.