States with Legal Sports Betting US Map & Updated Guide 2025
Along with in person sportsbooks, six online sportsbooks at Kansas casinos were initially approved. The four casinos in the state are allowed to run retail sportsbooks and collaborate with a maximum of three websites. Then online sports betting launched in NY in January 2022, now there are 8+ apps. New York is quickly catching up to New Jersey, as sportsbooks have taken over $45 billion worth of bets. No state can touch NY when it comes to tax revenue (top tax rate is 51%), generating a mouth-watering $2 billion. However, just a year later, Governor Whitmer signed bill HB 4916 legalizing sports betting in Michigan.
When the ban was struck down in 2018, individual states were allowed to determine the legal status of sports betting. However, Washington State enacted a law in 2006 that makes it a felony offense to participate in offshore online gambling. Washington authorities have never prosecuted an individual under the law, but it remains a theoretical risk. More than a dozen states have legal online lottery sales to some degree.
Platforms like TVG, TwinSpires, and FanDuel Racing allow users to place real-money wagers on races across the country. Some states, like Georgia or South Carolina, prohibit online race betting entirely, but most allow it with age verification and geolocation. There is very little possibility that more sportsbook apps will be released in Rhode Island. Compared to other states, Rhode Island law requires a more closer relationship between the state and sports betting. The app is a division of the Rhode Island Lottery, so sports betting is effectively a state government operation.
The newly-introduced SAFE Bet Act shows where the national conversation is heading. Introduced in 2025, it’s broadly seen as a federal bid to establish a single, comprehensive framework for online sports betting. States could continue to operate their markets, but only if they meet Department of Justice standards regarding advertisements, payments, microbets, and responsible gambling policies, among other requirements. Pennsylvania is one of the largest online sports-betting markets in the US.
States Where Horse Racing Betting is Legal
There are three racinos (casinos at horse race tracks) in the state that are operated by the lottery. In 2023, BetRivers reached an agreement to launch three online sportsbooks and casinos, making them the lone operator in the state. South Carolina has a bit to go and some hurdles to cross before sports betting arrives. In 2022, bipartisan lawmakers proposed a bill to allow up to 12 online sportsbooks, but it didn’t go anywhere. In late 2022, Rep. J. Todd Rutherford proposed a constitutional amendment to allow residents to vote on legal sports betting. The bill failed to gain traction, which wasn’t helped by opposition from Governor Henry McMaster.
Where are the top sportsbooks legal online?
Sweepstakes casinos are available in the state, providing an alternative online gaming option. Sweepstakes casinos continue to provide an alternative for those seeking online gaming. Indiana has legalized online sports betting but online casinos are yet legal.
- A few pieces of legislation have been on the subject, but they all fail to make any headway.
- Lt. Governor Tim Patrick stated that there was not enough support amongst Senate Republicans for him to consider pursuing the issue.
- The future of online gambling in the United States is poised for major shifts as more states explore legislation to expand legal iGaming.
- Some states, like Georgia or South Carolina, prohibit online race betting entirely, but most allow it with age verification and geolocation.
- Sweepstakes casinos also operate legally under federal sweepstakes exemptions.
Sports betting went live in November 2020 and is available via mobile apps statewide, regulated by the Tennessee Sports Wagering Advisory Council. Tennessee allows betting on in-state college teams (like UT or Vanderbilt), but it forbids any individual college player prop bets, as well as live in-game prop bets on college teams. Aside from those college prop restrictions, the betting menu is broad, including esports which were legalized in 2023.
Gamblers aged 21+ located in Vermont may wager legally on pro sports leagues and college sports, however in-state college games are forbidden unless they are participating in a tournament. Efforts to legalize sports betting in Oklahoma in 2022 were unsuccessful. Ohio started sports betting in January 2023, with both in-person and mobile options. In Feb 2024 Both Gov. Mike DeWine and the NCAA announced their support for is sheesh casino legit eliminating proposition bets in collegiate sports, citing threats to athletes. Nevada, a long-standing hub for betting, continues to offer extensive sports gambling options. Massachusetts sports betting commenced on January 31, 2023, with online betting expected to launch in March 2023.
Florida sports betting was re-launched in November 2023, with Hard Rock Bet as the sole online sportsbook, available to bettors who signed up during the initial 2021 legalization. Las Vegas has long been the sports betting mecca in the U.S., but New York and New Jersey have taken over as the leading sports betting state based on handle. Pennsylvania and Illinois are rising too, and now 39 states permit at least some form of legal sports betting since the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on sports wagering in May 2018. On April 12, 2021, the state Senate approved Senate Bill HB 2772, which legalized retail Arizona sports betting and online sports betting.
After a lengthy legal battle, Florida is once again offering legal sports betting. The state’s gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe has been done for years, but legal challenges in federal court have kept the industry on hold until the fall of 2023. Both retail and online sports betting finally got the green light at the end of the year, launching in December 2023. Today, there are 20 places to play online, and the state has brought in gross revenues of more than $713 million. For an online site to launch, it must partner with one of the more than 30 land-based casinos in Colorado. Since 2018, several tribal casinos in New Mexico have offered in-person sports betting under existing gaming compacts.