Marcus Richards
Since the Supreme Court decision of 2018, sports betting is now legal across the United States. People can legally bet on sports like football, baseball, and basketball. However, although each state is now allowed to legalize sports betting, it does not mean every state is going to do so. The legality of sports betting in each state is still dependent on individual state laws.
How many states have legalized sports betting already?
At present, out of the US’s fifty states and the federal district of Washington DC, twenty have fully legalized sports betting. A further six have recently passed bills to enable sports betting, and another 22 have recently introduced bills but not yet passed them. Only three states, Idaho, Wisconsin, and Utah, have not yet introduced bills to legalize sports betting. While Idaho and Wisconsin may yet introduce new bills, it looks unlikely that Utah will allow sports betting because its anti-gambling stance is written into the state’s constitution.
The specific legalities of sports betting can still differ from state to state, though. So, you should consult a list of the rules for legal sports-betting states for a more detailed breakdown. You will also need to ensure you use a safe betting platform. Details about the best safe sports betting sites are explained here.
Which states have already legalized sports betting?
As the home of Las Vegas, it is not surprising that the state of Nevada has been way ahead of other states in terms of gambling for decades. Given its long and successful history in the gambling sector, including sports betting regulations, other states could be looking at Nevada to determine best practices. 19 other states have now joined Nevada in legalizing sports betting. They include:
- Delaware. In 2018, Delaware moved to provide single-game betting on numerous sports at three of the state’s casinos and expanded sports wagering at additional locations, including online.
- Iowa. Betting on college sports is now permitted in Iowa, but specific types of in-game prop bets for college games are not permitted. Operators must pay a $45,000 licensing fee and a 6.75% tax on revenue. The new law also permits mobile wagering in Iowa.
- New York. Sports betting has been widely allowed at venues across New York, but the current law does not allow for mobile wagering.
- Oregon. This state is one of a small number of states that already permitted sports betting prior to the new Supreme Court ruling of 2018. But Oregon did recently allow mobile sports betting for the first time, with the state lottery overseeing the launch of a specific website and app.
- Rhode Island. Only two locations in Rhode Island are allowed to provide sports betting, but mobile betting is also permitted.
The other 14 states where sports betting is now legal are:
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Montana
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Washington DC
- West Virginia
Which states have passed bills to legalize sports betting?
The six places that have passed bills for legalizing sports betting are North Carolina, Washington, Virginia, Maryland, South Dakota, and Louisiana:
- In North Carolina, sports and horse race betting will be allowed, but all bettors must place wagers in-person at one of only two retail locations.
- In Washington, the new betting bill will allow sports betting at Class III tribal casinos as well as e-sports events wagering.
- In Virginia, online sports betting will be permitted, but wagering on Virginia college sports will not be allowed.
- In Maryland, a regulatory framework needs to first be put in place before any sports betting can take place.
- In South Dakota, a regulatory framework and tax rate needs to be decided before sports betting will be allowed.
- In Louisiana, lawmakers are setting up a regulatory scheme to determine the particulars of sports betting.
Which states have recently introduced bills but not passed them?
22 states are in the process of moving towards sports betting legislation, but some look set to introduce new laws and regulations more than others. For example, in Oklahoma, the state’s Attorney General and a bipartisan group of state lawmakers are opposing sports betting in the state, so Oklahoma’s future looks uncertain. And in Maine, lawmakers initially passed an act to ensure the proper oversight of sports betting, but the governor vetoed the bill shortly after. Meanwhile, in Nebraska, the constitution has been amended to allow people to bet on all games of chance, but the details of which sports can be included have not yet been determined. The other 19 states that have recently introduced bills but not passed them are:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Vermont
- Wyoming
