Sports Betting Law

Alabama has no legalized sports betting. Wagering on the outcome of a sporting event is "gambling" under Ala. Code § 13A-12-20(4), and a bettor who knowingly advances or profits from…

Alaska has no legal sportsbook, retail or online. State law defines "gambling" as staking money on the outcome of a "contest of chance" or a "future contingent event not under the…

Arizona legalized event wagering, commonly called sports betting, in 2021 under Arizona Revised Statutes Title 5, Chapter 11. The Department of Gaming may issue no more than ten event…

Arkansas legalized sports wagering under Amendment 100, but only casino licensees may take the action. Racing Commission Rule 23 CAR § 358-2002 bars anyone from operating a race book…

California has no legal sports betting, in stores or online. Penal Code section 337a criminalizes bookmaking, pool-selling, and placing or accepting any bet on the result of a sporting…

Colorado legalized sports betting statewide in 2020 under C.R.S. section 44-30-1505, but the state issues a "master license" only to holders of an existing retail gaming license -- the…

Connecticut only allows sports wagering through state-licensed operators: the Connecticut Lottery Corporation and the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes, each running one online…

Delaware runs sports betting as a state lottery game under 29 Del. C. § 4825(a), which directs the Lottery Director to operate a sports lottery covering any professional or collegiate…

Sports wagering has been legal in the District since May 3, 2019, but only for licensed operators. D.C. Code § 36-621.05 makes it illegal to take a sports bet without an Operator…

Sports wagering is legal in Florida only through the Seminole Tribe's Hard Rock Bet platform, authorized under the state's gaming compact codified at Fla. Stat. § 285.710(13)(b)7…

Hawaii outlaws sports betting outright under HRS §712-1223: knowingly participating in any gambling activity, including wagering on a game's outcome, is a misdemeanor. Bookmaking…

Idaho's constitution permits only three narrow forms of gambling: a state lottery, pari-mutuel horse and dog racing, and charitable bingo or raffle games, and sports wagering is not…

Illinois legalized sports betting under the Sports Wagering Act, but only through an operator holding a Board-issued master sports wagering license. The Illinois Gaming Board licenses…

Indiana Gaming Commission certificates of authority under IC 4-38 have let licensed casino owners, racino operating agents, and satellite off-track betting permit holders run sports…

Iowa restricts sports wagering licenses to operators already licensed to run gambling games at a pari-mutuel racetrack enclosure or an excursion gambling boat. Under Iowa Code section…

Kansas legalized sports wagering in 2022 under K.S.A. 74-8781, but only as a state lottery product: there's no path to run an independent sportsbook. Every legal wager runs through one…

Kentucky legalized sports wagering in 2023, but only tracks licensed by the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation can operate it, in person or through a contracted platform. KRS…

Louisiana sports wagering is legal only in the 55 of 64 parishes that approved it in the November 3, 2020 statewide referendum. Under La. R.S. 27:608(A), a player placing a wager with…

Maine legalized sports wagering statewide in 2022, but mobile and online betting licenses under 8 M.R.S. § 1207 go exclusively to Maine's four federally recognized Indian tribes: no…

Maryland legalized sports wagering in 2021 under State Government § 9-1E-01 et seq., requiring anyone who operates or facilitates sports betting to hold a license from the Lottery and…

Massachusetts legalized sports wagering under G.L. c. 23N, with retail betting live January 31, 2023 and mobile apps following March 10, 2023. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission…

Michigan legalized internet sports betting under the Lawful Sports Betting Act, but the Michigan Gaming Control Board can license only two kinds of operators: existing commercial…

Minnesota has never authorized a licensed sportsbook. Placing a bet is a misdemeanor under Minn. Stat. § 609.755(1), and taking bets crosses into gross-misdemeanor or felony territory…

Sports wagering is legal in Mississippi only on the physical premises of a licensed casino. Mississippi Gaming Commission Rule 13-9-3.4 requires every race book or sports pool to take…

Missouri voters approved Amendment 2 in November 2024, adding Article III, Section 39(g) to the state constitution and legalizing sports wagering statewide. Licensed operators may take…

Montana legalized sports wagering in 2019, but only as a state lottery monopoly, not a commercial sportsbook market. Sports Bet Montana, operated by the Montana Lottery, is the sole…

Nebraska's Racetrack Gaming Act allows sports wagering only inside licensed racetrack casinos: every bet has to go through a sportsbook window or wagering kiosk in the designated…

Nevada legalized sports wagering statewide long before other states, but you can only bet through a sports pool licensed under NRS 463.160. Operating a race book or sports pool without…

New Hampshire legalized sports wagering in 2019 under RSA 287-I, putting the state lottery commission in sole charge of the market. The commission contracts with competitively bid…

New Jersey legalized sports betting in June 2018 under the Sports Wagering Act, N.J.S.A. 5:12A-10 et seq. Only Atlantic City casinos and Meadowlands/Monmouth Park-class racetracks…

New Mexico has never passed a law legalizing sports betting. Wagering on sporting events is a crime under NMSA 1978 sections 30-19-1 to 30-19-15 and the Gaming Control Act, enforced by…

Sports betting is legal in New York only through operators licensed by the state Gaming Commission under Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law Section 1367-a. Nine mobile…

North Carolina legalized sports wagering under G.S. Chapter 18C, Article 9, effective March 2024. The State Lottery Commission licenses online and in-person sportsbooks; interactive…

North Dakota has no commercial or online sportsbook. Century Code chapter 12.1-28 defines gambling to include wagering on "the happening or outcome of an event, including an election…

Ohio legalized sports wagering effective January 1, 2023, but R.C. 3775.03 bars anyone from operating, conducting, or assisting sports gaming without a license from the Ohio Casino…

Oklahoma has no legal, licensed way to bet on sports, not through a casino, an app, or a tribal compact. Wagering on athletic contests for money falls under the state's general…

Oregon never passed a sports-wagering law. When PASPA fell in 2018, the Oregon State Lottery revived betting on games using power it already had: ORS 461.210 lets the Lottery…

Pennsylvania channels all sports wagering through Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board certificates, and only an existing slot machine licensee can hold one under 4 Pa.C.S. § 13C11…

Rhode Island legalized sports wagering in 2018, but only as a state-run monopoly. RIGL 42-61.2-2.4 puts the Division of Lotteries in full operational control, hosted exclusively at the…

South Carolina bans sports betting outright. S.C. Code § 16-19-130 makes it a crime to bet at a race track, sell pools, run a bookmaking operation, or record wagers on the outcome of…

South Dakota authorizes wagering on sporting events under SDCL 42-7B-1, but only inside licensed gaming establishments within the Deadwood city limits: there is no statewide mobile or…

Texas licenses no retail sportsbook and no betting app. Placing a wager on the outcome of a game, contest, or a player's performance is a criminal offense under Penal Code §…

Utah is one of only two states with zero legal gambling, and that includes sports betting: no retail sportsbooks, no mobile betting apps, and no daily-fantasy cash contests. Utah…

Vermont legalized mobile sports betting under 31 V.S.A. chapter 25 (Act 63, 2023), effective statewide since January 11, 2024. The Department of Liquor and Lottery contracts with a…

Virginia legalized online sports betting in 2020 under Code § 58.1-4032, but caps competition: the Virginia Lottery's Director issues no fewer than four and no more than 12 permits…

Sports betting is legal in Washington only at tribal casinos operating under a class III gaming compact amended to include it, as RCW 9.46.0364 authorizes following ESHB 2638 (2020 c…

West Virginia legalized sports wagering in 2018 under W. Va. Code §29-22D-2, but only through the state's five licensed racetrack casinos and the Greenbrier resort hotel. Under…

Wisconsin has no commercial sportsbook law. Wis. Stat. § 945.02 makes placing any bet a Class B misdemeanor unless it fits a listed exception, and § 945.01(1)(h), added by 2025…

Wyoming authorizes sports betting only through internet and mobile platforms licensed by the Wyoming Gaming Commission under Wyo. Stat. § 9-24-101 et seq. No retail sportsbooks exist…