The biggest event of the NFL offseason, the NFL Draft, is set to take place April 25-27 in Detroit. While the draft has become a popular sports betting event, some states restrict or prohibit NFL draft betting.
Since the draft unfolds based on decisions by individual teams and executives rather than athletes performing on a field of play, some jurisdictions do not consider it to be a sporting event. New York, for example, bans draft betting based on the state’s definition of “sports wagering.”
NCAA pushing for nationwide player prop ban
This year’s NFL Draft is happening amid an atmosphere of scrutiny regarding prop bets on college athletes. Ohio and Maryland recently banned college player props, Louisiana followed suit, and some legislators in New Jersey hope to add their state to the list.
NCAA President Charlie Baker has also called for a nationwide ban.
Note, however, that betting on the NFL Draft is not affected by college player prop bans. Athletes who have entered the NFL Draft are no longer college athletes and do not affect selections, so the bans do not apply.
As a result, states that ban one market may offer the other. For example, Colorado prohibits college player props but has no restrictions on NFL Draft betting, and Kentucky allows prop bets on college players but not betting on the NFL Draft.
What states allow NFL Draft betting?
Twenty-one states (plus Washington, D.C.) allow legal sportsbooks to offer NFL Draft odds to bettors in their borders without any apparent restrictions. Eight allow betting on the NFL Draft with restrictions, and seven others allow online sports betting but prohibit wagers on the NFL Draft.
Below is a breakdown of those three categories, plus a list of states where sports betting remains illegal.
States with no NFL Draft betting restrictions
From betting on how many receivers will go in the first round to picking who will be the first defensive player off the board, the states below generally allow sportsbooks to offer an extensive menu of NFL Draft odds. Some of the states do not allow statewide online sports betting, so bettors must place their wagers in-person at participating locations.
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Florida
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Louisiana — in parishes that allow online sports betting
- Maine
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- Montana — in-person at a Sports Bet Montana location
- Nebraska — in-person at a tribal casino that offers draft odds
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico — in-person at a tribal casino that offers draft odds
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- Washington — in person at a tribal casino that offers draft odds
- Washington DC
- Wisconsin — in person at a tribal casino that offers draft odds
- Wyoming
States with NFL Draft betting restrictions
The states in the chart below allow betting on the NFL Draft but have restricted it in some way. Some states do not allow live draft betting, while others restrict the types of wagers that people can place.
| State | Restriction |
|---|---|
| Arizona | Arizona requires bets on the NFL Draft to close before the start of round one. |
| Iowa | Iowa regulations require betting markets to shut down 24 hours before the start of the draft. Bettors in Iowa will not be able to bet on the draft after 7 p.m. CT on April 24. |
| Massachusetts | Bets on the whole draft (number of trades, etc.) must be placed before the first pick of the draft. Bets that are specific to a particular round must be placed before the round starts. Bets on individual selections must be made before the pick two slots prior is announced (for instance, bets on who will be picked 15th must be made before pick 13 is announced.) |
| Michigan | Michigan, the host state for the 2024 NFL draft, has the same rules as Massachusetts. |
| Nevada | Betting markets on individual players must shut down 24 hours before the draft. Other bets must close before the start of the round associated with the bet. |
| Ohio | The Ohio Casino Control Commission’s executive director must sign off on every draft-related bet that Ohio sportsbooks offer. Find the list of approved bets here. |
| Tennessee | Tennessee has the same restrictions as Massachusetts and Michigan. |
| West Virginia | Draft betting markets must close 24 hours before the start of the draft. |
Legal states that do not allow NFL Draft betting
The following states allow online sports betting but do not allow betting on the NFL Draft:
- Connecticut
- Kentucky
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Virginia
While in-person sports betting is available in the following states, sportsbooks in those states do not appear to be offering any wagers on the 2024 NFL Draft:
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
States with no legal sports betting
These states do not have any form of legal sports betting:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- California
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Utah
