Where Is Online Sports Betting Legal in the USA? 2026

The major pro sports leagues and the NCAA sued to stop the law from taking effect on grounds that it was a clear violation of PASPA. However, betting at the track continues to be allowed. BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook expanded their online presence in Washington, D.C., in July, allowing bettors to place wagers anywhere in the district.

Sports betting is legal at the state’s 3 tribal casinos. Sports betting is legal only at the state’s three tribal casinos. Tax revenue from sports betting will provide $2 million each year to help those struggling with gambling addition and another $1 million for youth sports. North Carolina’s Gov. Roy Cooper signed a bill in 2019 to allow tribal casinos to operate sportsbooks on their premises. The Garden State has over 15 sportsbooks operating with more than $6 billion worth of bets placed in 2020. New Jersey was the second U.S state to legalize sports betting.

It is the first federal tax change to hit US bettors directly since the 10% excise tax era. Signed on July 4, 2025, the OBBBA capped the gambling loss deduction at 90% of losses starting in the 2026 tax year. A platform can be fully open in one state, limited to non-sports contracts in another, and blocked entirely in a third. Minnesota became the first state to formally ban prediction markets in May 2026, and a federal judge stayed that ban days before it took effect.

The company leverages its strong brand in sports merchandise to attract sports bettors. A massive iGaming state due to its population, PA bettors can now choose from a host of top online operators including BetRivers, FanDuel, DraftKings, and FOX Bet. In an unusual move, the licensed establishments are geo-fenced, so you can’t bet online outside of the licensed bars and restaurants. With some states accepting more than 80% of wagers online, full fledged state-wide mobile is a big miss in the Magnolia state.

You only need to be in a legal betting state when you place your bet. It is illegal to bet on sports in a state that has not expressly legalized the activity. However, each state has its own regulations regarding where and how bets can be placed, whether online or in-person. Some states have only tribal gaming and no commercial casinos at present, including Minnesota, and Washington State. The compacts govern which games are allowed in casinos and mandate revenue sharing between the state and the recognized tribe. Indeed, the NCAA, as well as the four major pro sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL), were instrumental in getting PASPA through Congress in 1992 and https://www.pokernewsdaily.com/sportsbooks/ in enforcing it by repeatedly blocking several state-level attempts to legalize sports wagering.

Handle measures total betting volume only, so the term does not describe net wins, losses, or sportsbook profits. It is also important to note that the Supreme Court ruling does not preclude Congress from regulating or even banning sports betting at the federal level. The idea here was to get around PASPA by not explicitly authorizing or licensing sports wagering; New Jersey simply wanted to end its prohibition at casinos and race tracks. Less than two weeks later, the Sports Wagering Act to authorize sports betting in New Jersey was introduced.

A few retail sportsbooks exist, and those are run at Native American casinos. Similar to a few other states, there’s only one option for legal mobile sports betting in Oregon, and that’s DraftKings which started in January 2022. New York recently approved online sports betting and it has been live in the Empire State for over a year after its official launch on Jan. 8, 2022. In-person betting has long been a staple in Nevada, but mobile wagering in this state requires registration at one of the many casinos. Retail sportsbooks launched on September 7, 2023, and mobile betting began on September 28. Kansas legalized sports betting in the spring of 2022 and launched in-person and online betting on Sept. 1 of that year, right in time for the 2022 NFL season.

Massachusetts was also the first state regulator to go on offense against prediction markets, winning a preliminary injunction against Kalshi’s sports contracts in January 2026. Check out all the latest sportsbook promos in Massachusetts. If you live in one of the nine parishes that voted no, you cannot legally bet inside your parish, though you can drive to one that allows it. Find the best sportsbook bonuses in Iowa with the most value. Check out the best Illinois sportsbook promotions before signing up anywhere.

In some, like New Jersey, you cannot bet on New Jersey collegiate teams or collegiate sporting events taking place in New Jersey. So, you cannot use an app unless you visit that operator’s retail location and register first. It’s app is clean and easy to navigate, and it offers 24/7 customer support that allows you to talk to a real person, something most of its competitors cannot say.

Bettors originally had to register in person, which suppressed signups until online registration arrived in 2021. Hawaii took a small procedural step forward in February 2026, but opposition remains strong and legalization is not realistically close. New customers can now sign up directly through the app rather than at a casino.

They are popular in football betting, but we see prop bets for multiple leagues on the best online sports betting sites. Users of online sportsbooks must be 21 in all but four states with legal sports betting. The best US sportsbooks have great welcome offers to get you started with your online sports betting, like our DraftKings promo code. Sports betting is legal at tribal casinos in Wisconsin, but a bill to legalize online sports betting passed the state Assembly unanimously last week.

Vermont launched its online sports betting in January 2024, following the legalization process that began earlier in 2023. With the signing of House Bill 347 by Governor Roy Cooper in June 2023, North Carolina officially entered the sports betting arena, paving the way for both retail and online sports betting. Nebraska officially launched its sports betting operations on June 22, 2023, but only for in-person wagering, as online sports betting remains prohibited. Michigan managed to push through legislation for online sports betting, casino and DFS in December 2019. Massachusetts entered the sports betting arena with the launch of retail sportsbooks on January 31, 2023, following legislative approval.

Do any states allow sportsbooks at stadiums?

The Pelican State has a number of online sportsbook operators, led by Caesars Entertainment, which also has a retail sportsbook in Harrah’s New Orleans. Bally Bet and Fanatics Sportsbook are expected to launch their betting sites in Tennessee sometime this year. Harrah’s Cherokee Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino are the two places with established retail sportsbooks. In late fall of 2018, District of Columbia Council did pass legislation to allow sports betting in Washington DC.

It required banks and payment processors to block certain gambling payments. Only Nevada, Oregon, Delaware, and Montana were exempt due to existing laws. It banned the use of wire communications for gambling across state lines. The US States consider them illegal but that’s also because they don’t pay local taxes. With such a mix, it might be hard to know exactly what is or is not legal and what you can gamble on and where in the USA. As a result, Gambling in the USA is a diverse and evolving industry with multiple stakeholders and sometimes confusing overlaps of laws and customs.

For example, if DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook both operate on a single casino’s license, industry insiders would refer to each as separate “skins”. And it proved quite popular, thanks to a large existing database of users through its daily fantasy sports. DraftKings Sportsbook did come online first — officially on Aug. 6, 2018, with a platform powered by Kambi. J” Julius Erving placed the first wager at the Borgata half an hour after Murphy’s bet. Gov. Phil Murphy placed the first bet that morning around 10 a.m., exactly one month after the Supreme Court struck the ban.

Federal Government Cancels 10% Tax

The decision had wide-ranging implications for US sports betting. For now, The Federal Wire Act remains in place and essentially restricts states to regulating sports betting within their borders. The repeal of PASPA in 2018 granted states the authority to regulate sports betting. Each state page provides comprehensive information on the available forms of in-person and online betting in the USA that are legal and accessible to bettors who are residents in the state. BettingUSA’s expert team of industry insiders, analysts, and experienced gamblers dedicates our diverse skill set to providing a roadmap to betting online safely and legally.

As the industry has grown, we have seen hundreds of new betting sites become available. We have created a list of the best sport betting sites currently operating in the USA. Regulated sports betting is quickly becoming as commonplace as sports themselves. There is always a risk of losing money when sports betting. Check out our sports betting statistics guide that goes over who is betting, how much they bet, handle and revenue data by state, and more. Interested in learning more about sports betting in the United States?

However, you do need to be physically situated within state borders at the time you are wagering real money. It is very important to use your real legal name that you will be able to verify. However, you must be physically located within a legal state to place wagers.

The SBA says a proposed 40% tax rate would significantly punish players, with sportsbooks likely to pull back bonuses and boosts while increasing vig. The House committee advanced a bill in March 2025 that would allow gamblers to deduct betting losses from their state income taxes, matching what federal tax laws already have in place. DraftKings is the exclusive provider of online sports wagering in The Granite State, launching in tandem with the New Hampshire Lottery Commission in late 2019. This earlystart allowed Nevada to enjoy an online betting monopoly until 2018. It was also the first tolaunch online betting platforms, with STN Sports debuting in 2010. The law accepts asmany as 15 licenses, eight of which are tied to land-based casinos andracetracks, and seven obtained through a competitive bid.

• In the United States, gambling is subject to a variety of legal restrictions.
• (Three other states — Delaware, Montana and Oregon — had some limited forms of sports gambling “grandfathered” under PASPA, allowing them to continue.)
• The sports books were called Turf Clubs and operated independently of Vegas casinos.
• Over time, sports betting grew increasingly popular and the demand for legal betting options grew.

Through a general election in November of 2020, South Dakota voters approved the amendment to legalize retail sports betting in Deadwood tribal casinos. The North Dakota House passed HB 1254, but the state Senate did not approve the bill calling for legal retail and online sports betting. Sports betting is legal in Montana, but commercial online sportsbooks are still against the law. At this time, there are also no state legislative bills legalizing retail and/or online sports betting in the House or Senate. In August of 2019, both retail and online sports betting became legal in Iowa. In May of 2019, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed the bill that legalized both retail and online sports betting.

Even before the Europeans colonists set foot ashore, the local tribes had often multiple gambling-type games and activities. In May 2018 the court reached its verdict, declaring the law unconstitutional by a 6-3 vote. Often criticized for its slow pace, it’s now possible to create excitement through in-game wagering. New Jersey was first on its list, launching online operations on September 7, 2018. Fanatics Sportsbook is part of Fanatics Betting & Gaming and is available online in 22 states and D.C.

From brick-and-mortar casinos and poker rooms to retail and online sportsbooks and beyond, every local government has different rules and regulations regarding these markets. Each state’s legislature and citizens have different opinions on sports betting and online sportsbooks, so legalization has come in waves, and not every state has decided to do so just yet. Mobile sportsbooks have lots of special rewards, boosts, and other features to help you have a great online sports betting experience. There are currently three online Connecticut sports betting options, as well as a celebrated history of legalized sports betting at in-person casinos. Some states allow nearly every form of gambling, from casinos and sportsbooks to online gaming. USALegalBetting serves as your go-to destination for up-to-date information on legal sports betting and casino gambling news across the United States.

Unfortunately, the sportsbook (which was over 50% women- and minority-owned), didn’t last and closed its doors in summer 2026. The platform covers the major sports well enough for everyday wagering and has some interesting tools, such as the Flex Parlay. Live betting is steady and dependable, with some live streaming included. The live betting platform is reliable, and the rewards program adds value for users who frequent MGM properties. It doesn’t lead the market in any single category, but its consistency, broad state availability, and integration with MGM’s casino network make it a dependable option.

They may address jurisdiction, licensing, regulatory standards, enforcement, and other matters related to gaming operations. Tribal-state compacts establish how tribes and states will regulate Class III gaming. Tribes also regulate Class II gaming, with oversight from the National Indian Gaming Commission. Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988 to divide responsibility for Native American gaming among tribal, federal, and state governments. The same day the state voted against the Indian casino project, Maine voters approved a plan to add slot machines to the state’s harness racing tracks. For example, in November 2003, the state of Maine voted against a $650 million casino project proposed by the Penobscots and Passamaquoddies.

The main restrictions on betting in the Garden State are in the area of college sports as there’s no betting on NJ-based college teams. Currently, DraftKings is the only available online sportsbook in New Hampshire. You cannot bet on minor league sports, college athlete prop bets, or individual games involving in-state colleges. The legal betting age in the state is 21 years, and while college prop betting previously allowed, the state banned the practice in August 2024. You must be 21 years old to play, and while there are restrictions on college prop bets, the Hawkeye State has generally strong offerings.

Typically, two-factor authentication involves receiving a fix or six-digit number by text and inputting that number every time you log in to your online betting account. As mentioned, the minimum age to be permitted to gamble at any legal sportsbook in the US is 21. Signing up for an online sportsbook account begins with completing a registration form. Meanwhile, a great sportsbook will offer regular promotions on a weekly basis, whether or not a major sporting event is imminent. A good sportsbook will offer promos based around major events like the Super Bowl and NBA Finals. Most states have opted for open market regulatory frameworks that allow multiple sportsbook brands to apply for licenses and compete for customers.

It has the backing of the well-known Fanatics brand, making it a reliable option for sports fans. It’s a great option for bettors who value a user-friendly interface and a wide range of deposit and withdrawal options. It’s particularly well-regarded for its daily fantasy sports integration and user-friendly app. The state is an excellent example of good policy decisions leading to a high-performing market.