Sports Betting States: Latest US Legislation & Bill Tracker
key takeaways
- Currently, 38 states (plus Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico) offer legal sports betting in some format. There are 30 states that have online sports betting via either smartphone apps or websites. DC and Puerto Rico also allow online betting.
- In 2018, the Supreme Court struck down PASPA, the federal ban on sports betting. This decision allows each state to determine whether it wants to legalize sports betting within its borders.
- Nearly every US state legislature has at least introduced a sports betting legalization bill at some point since 2018. More revisited or introduced new legislation in 2024.
- This page monitors sports betting bills at every step through their legislative journey, from introduction through passage or failure.
Legal Sports Betting States: Latest US Laws & Bill Updates
Online sports betting account for the vast majority of legal wagering on sports throughout the United States. While online betting is not new, any website or app outside Nevada that offered sports betting inside the United States before 2018 did so illegally.
Earlier in 2024, North Carolina became the 30th state to launch online sports betting, upgrading its offerings on March 11. Now, these states (and Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico) have legal, regulated sports betting industries:
| States | Online | Retail |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Yes | Yes |
| Arkansas | Yes | Yes |
| Colorado | Yes | Yes |
| Connecticut | Yes | Yes |
| Delaware | Yes | Yes |
| Florida | Yes | Yes |
| Illinois | Yes | Yes |
| Indiana | Yes | Yes |
| Iowa | Yes | Yes |
| Kansas | Yes | Yes |
| Kentucky | Yes | Yes |
| Louisiana | Yes | Yes |
| Maine | Yes | No |
| Maryland | Yes | Yes |
| Massachusetts | Yes | Yes |
| Michigan | Yes | Yes |
| Mississippi | No | Yes |
| Missouri | Yes | Yes |
| Montana | No | Yes |
| Nebraska | No | Yes |
| Nevada | Yes | Yes |
| New Hampshire | Yes | Yes |
| New Jersey | Yes | Yes |
| New Mexico | No | Yes |
| New York | Yes | Yes |
| North Carolina | Yes | Yes |
| North Dakota | No | Yes |
| Ohio | Yes | Yes |
| Oregon | Yes | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | Yes | Yes |
| Puerto Rico | Yes | No |
| Rhode Island | Yes | Yes |
| South Dakota | No | Yes |
| Tennessee | Yes | No |
| Vermont | Yes | No |
| Virginia | Yes | Yes |
| Washington, DC | Yes | Yes |
| Washington | Yes | Yes |
| West Virginia | Yes | Yes |
| Wisconsin | Yes | Yes |
| Wyoming | Yes | No |
Some tribes in New Mexico, North Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin offer sports betting under an existing Class III gaming compact.
Mississippi allows app-based sports betting but only on site at licensed casinos. Montana offers in-person betting through lottery terminals and an app that only works in authorized Sports Bet Montana locations.
Alabama, Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah are states where there is no sports betting.
Active 2026 online sports betting bills
There are sports betting bills active in multiple states, many of which are focused on tweaking the current rules and regulations in states with legal betting already.
- New Jersey: A 4003 and S 4320 would prevent operators from extending promotions, incentives or benefits to anyone that utilizes responsible gambling tools.
- Pennsylvania: There are a package of bills that would tighten regulations on the industry including daily limits on deposits, banning push notifications and text solicitations to bet, ending credit card funding and banning promotions for anyone that utilizes responsible gambling tools.
Which states could legalize sports betting next?
States seeking additional sources of tax revenue and wanting to better address responsible gambling issues continue to look into sports betting legalization and regulation.
In recent years, these states examined sports betting bills but failed to get them across the finish line:
- Alabama: A comprehensive bill to legalize multiple forms of gambling in Alabama in February but was never heard in committee.
- California: Tribes are considering a push to legalize sports betting in 2028 with prediction markets serving the state right now.
- Georgia: The push for sports betting was upended by politics in Georgia with one key stakeholder saying he was left out of negotiations.
- Minnesota: Sports betting bills continue to struggle to find a consensus in Minnesota.
- Mississippi: The state’s lieutenant governor said there is no need to expand mobile betting statewide as he has concerns over the social impact.
- Nebraska: There will likely be a referendum on November’s ballot to bet on whether mobile sports betting should be legal or not.
- Oklahoma: Many stakeholders within the state, including the governor, support sports betting. However, getting a bill passed that satisfies the needs of tribes and legislators has been an issue.
- Texas: There are still no promising leads that in 2027 Texas will get over the issues that derailed legalization in 2023 and 2025.
Online sports betting legalization timeline
The number of states with legal online sports betting grew quickly in the years after the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on single-game wagering in 2018. There are now 30 states with online betting, and more are on the way.
Below is a list of mobile launch dates for every legal state.
2010
Nevada becomes the first state to launch online sports betting when the STN Sports app goes live in October.
2018
Aug. 1 – New Jersey
Dec. 27 – West Virginia
2019
May 28 – Pennsylvania
Aug. 15 – Iowa
Sept. 4 – Rhode Island
Oct. 3 – Indiana
Oct. 16 – Oregon
Dec. 30 – New Hampshire
2020
May 1 – Colorado
May 28 – Washington, D.C.
June 18 – Illinois
Nov. 1 – Tennessee
2021
Jan. 21 – Virginia
Jan. 22 – Michigan
Sept. 1 – Wyoming
Sept. 9 – Arizona
Oct. 19 – Connecticut
2022
Jan. 8 – New York
Jan. 28 – Louisiana
March 5 – Arkansas
Sept. 8 – Kansas
Nov. 23 – Maryland
2023
Jan. 1 – Ohio
March 10 – Massachusetts
Sept. 28 – Kentucky
Nov. 3 – Maine
Nov. 7 – Florida
2024
Jan. 3 – Delaware
Jan. 11 – Vermont
March 11 – North Carolina
How online sports betting legalization laws affect athletes and coaches
There are 25 jurisdictions that explicitly prohibit an athlete or related person from betting:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Washington DC
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
Of those, four include penalties for the person betting — the others penalize the sportsbook/license holder:
- Colorado
- Michigan
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Ten jurisdictions explicitly via law and/or regulation bar the use of non-public information:
- Arizona
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Washington DC
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
Which state was the first to legalize online sports betting?
New Jersey was the first state to legalize online sports betting, launching in August 2018 after the Supreme Court overturned PASPA. Since then, sportsbooks like DraftKings and BetMGM have dominated the market. New users can often claim bonuses using a sportsbook promo like the DraftKings promo code for free bets or deposit matches. These promotions have fueled the rapid growth of online sports betting across the U.S. Today, many states offer legal sports betting sites, following New Jersey’s lead.
Is online sports betting legal in your state?
The legality of sports betting varies by state, with some allowing it while others do not. In states where it is permitted, betting sites frequently offer sportsbook promos to attract bettors. Many bettors take advantage of these offers to maximize their potential winnings. Be sure to review your state’s regulations to determine if sports betting is permitted.