Legislative Tracker: Sports Betting
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.
Online sportsbooks 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 |
| 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, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah are states where there is no sports betting.
Active 2024 sports betting bills
Many states have now concluded their legislative sessions for the year, and only one state still has active sports betting legislation. This list will grow as more sports betting legislation is introduced in the future.
- Missouri: Bills in the legislature stalled once again in 2024. However, the Missouri secretary of state’s office recently approved a sports betting ballot initiative, so voters will have their say on the issue at the polls in November. The measure needed 170,000 valid signatures to go onto the ballot, and 340,000 were submitted. The signature-gathering process was later challenged by Missouri-based legal consultants, but the judge ruled in favor of Secretary of State John Ashcroft.
Other key sports betting bills
- Delaware: The House Administration Committee advanced sports betting bill HB 365, which would have expanded the state’s online sports betting market. However, lawmakers ended up leaving the proposal on the table. BetRivers remains the only active sportsbook in the state.
- Illinois: Governor J.B. Pritzker signed off on the state’s 2025 budget, which includes a tax hike on sports betting operators in the state.
- New York: New York Sen. Joe Addabbo introduced a bill, S9044, that would raise the legal age for participation in fantasy sports contests from 18 to 21. The bill would also allow the state to potentially collect an extra $150 million in revenue from fantasy contests. The bill did not pass prior to the end of the legislative session.
- North Carolina: Rep. Marcia Morey introduced HB 967, a bill that would outlaw college player prop bets in North Carolina. The bill did not advance before the end of the legislative session.
- Nebraska: During a special session in the summer of 2024, Sen. Eliot Bostar introduced LB13 alongside a constitutional amendment to expand sports betting in the state to include online options. The session ended without the issue receiving much traction.
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: Senate versions of a bill died in the House again in 2024. Prospects appeared promising before sports betting was removed from a lottery bill that eventually failed.
- California: A ballot effort in 2022 to legalize mobile wagering failed spectacularly, drawing less than 20% support from California voters. Tribal gaming interests control the future of sports wagering in the Golden State.
- Georgia: Multiple bills came close to passage in recent years but fell short because of competing political pressures. A push went through the Senate in 2024, but the House could not come to an agreement by the end of the March session.
- Minnesota: A promising legislative push fell apart late in 2023 and 2024.
- Mississippi: While sports betting is already legal in Mississippi, it is only available in person, or online while physically located at a sportsbook. A proposal during the 2024 session was passed by the House but died in conference committee in the Senate.
- Missouri: Frustration is growing in Missouri, where Sen. Denny Hoskins has single-handedly obstructed sports betting legislation for three years over his desire to include video lottery terminals (VLTs). However, voters might have their say in November 2024 on a ballot proposal.
- Nebraska: While retail sports betting is already available in Nebraska, new legislation introduced during a special session could make online sports betting legal as well.
- 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: A bill to legalize sports wagering passed the House in 2023, a first in Texas. The bill quickly stalled in the Senate and cannot be picked up until 2025, when the legislature next meets.
How 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
Legislative live streams
Want to follow along as a sports betting bill is considered in a hearing or legislative session? Here’s a guide to all the video and audio streams for US legislatures: