26May

More States Are Looking to Legalize Sports Betting

Ever since the historic Supreme Court decision of 2018, which found PASPA (The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act) to be unconstitutional, thereby limiting the federal government’s power to regulate sports betting, many states have decided to make this type of gambling legal and enjoy the new contributions to their treasuries.

So far, there are more states with legal sports betting than there are without, so the current trend sees more and more states pushing legislation to legalize sports betting within their borders. Read this article to find out where sports betting is legal and live, where it’s expected to go live soon, and where there’s favorable legislation.

Where is Sports Betting Legal in the USA?

As we’ve already mentioned, the reason why you can see states frantically trying to legalize sports betting is because of a Supreme Court decision. When the highest court in the land found that the federal government had no right to ban nor regulate sports betting, individual states were allowed to design their own laws.

Since that fated decision in 2018, 30 states, along with Washington DC, have legalized some or all forms of sports betting. Some only allow sports betting at brick-and-mortar venues, others allow it on tribal lands only, and there are also those that allow both in-person and online sports betting.

We will give you a list of states with live sports betting and tell you which types are legal. We will also include states that have recently legalized betting on sports, but they are not operating just yet. Those states, along with forms of sports betting that are not live yet would be marked with “NL”.

  • Arizona – online, mobile, in-person
  • Arkansas – mobile (NL), in-person
  • Colorado – online, mobile, in-person
  • Connecticut – online, mobile (NL), in-person
  • Delaware – online (NL), mobile (NL), in-person
  • Illinois – online, mobile, in-person
  • Indiana – online, mobile, in-person
  • Iowa – online, mobile, in-person
  • Kansas – online (NL), in-person (NL)
  • Louisiana – online, mobile, in-person
  • Maryland – online (NL), mobile (NL), in-person (NL)
  • Michigan – online, mobile, in-person
  • Mississippi – online (on licensed premises), mobile (on licensed premises), in-person
  • Montana – online (on licensed premises), mobile (on licensed premises), in-person
  • Nebraska – in-person (NL)
  • Nevada – mobile, in-person
  • New Hampshire – online, mobile, in-person
  • New Jersey – online, mobile, in-person
  • New Mexico – in-person (tribal)
  • New York – online, mobile, in-person
  • North Carolina – in-person (tribal)
  • Ohio – online (NL), mobile (NL), in-person (NL)
  • Oklahoma – mobile (on licensed tribal lands), in-person (tribal)
  • Oregon – online, mobile, in-person
  • Pennsylvania – online, mobile, in-person
  • Rhode Island – online, mobile, in-person
  • South Dakota – in-person
  • Tennessee – online, mobile
  • Virginia – online, mobile, in-person (NL)
  • Washington DC – online, mobile, in-person
  • West Virginia – online, mobile, in-person
  • Wisconsin – in-person (tribal)
  • Wyoming – online, mobile, in-person

*Florida should have been on the list because sports betting was legalized in 2021, but this action was challenged and it’s currently to be decided by the court.

States Expected to Legalize Sports Betting

We believe that soon enough almost all states would legalize sports betting and all of its forms. Many states were influenced by the success of the sports betting industries of states like New Jersey and Indiana and they followed their example, so the trend is projected to continue.

Here are a few states that have pending sports betting legislations, meaning that we can soon see legal sports betting industries. If you live in any of those states, you may want to follow the progression of the bills by typing their unique title:

  • Massachusetts – H3993, SD2365
  • Vermont – S77
  • North Carolina – HB631
  • South Carolina – SJR67
  • Georgia – SB142
  • Minnesota – SF574
  • Texas – HB2080

In addition to these states with pending legislation, California has officially allowed two sports betting initiatives to appear on the 2022 ballot, so Californians would get a chance to vote on them; the two options are in-person betting or online betting.

Apart from the aforementioned states, there are many others that are pushing for sports betting legalization, but have unfortunately encountered a lot of obstacles on the way. Many bills have died in the House and Senate of those states, but the proponents keep trying.

One thing is certain – sports betting brings in a lot of money for the state coffers, which is the main reason why so many states eagerly pursue/d legalization. Still, gambling is not always viewed favorably by politicians, as well as citizens (Utah is a prime example).

If there are any updates, we will keep you posted.