key takeaways

  • Currently, 38 states (plus Washington DC) offer legal sports betting in some format. There are 26 states that allow online sports betting via either smartphone apps or websites.
  • 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 bill at some point since 2018. More are expected to revisit or introduce 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 began offering sports betting inside the United States prior to 2018 did so illegally.

States with legal sports betting

These states (and Washington, DC) have legal, regulated sports betting industries:

North Carolina has limited sports betting via tribal casinos. In New Mexico and Wisconsin, some tribes now offer sports betting under an existing Class III gaming compact. Mississippi allows app-based sports betting but only on-site at licensed casinos.

Florida sports betting remains mired in a legal battle involving state and federal courts.

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 legalizing and regulating sports betting.

In recent years, these states examined sports betting bills but failed to get them across the finish line:

2023 sports betting bills

There are now a variety of bills on file around the country and even some new laws on the books. Below is a look at current legislation by state. These states, in particular, are close to having legal sports betting:

Climate for US sports betting legislation

The pent-up demand for legal sports betting in the United States became evident quickly after the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on single-game wagering in 2018.

More than five years later, nearly 80% of US states have either legalized sports wagering or introduced legislation to do so.

Many states are taking full advantage of the opportunity by approving mobile sportsbook apps and statewide betting. Others are choosing the more limited route of in-person wagering at sportsbooks.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, more states chose to examine legalizing sports betting as a way to offset budget losses.

It is widely accepted that people are wagering on sports in every state, many illegally through unlicensed offshore sportsbooks. Capturing that revenue through a regulated market that is also better equipped to identify and treat problem gambling appeals to state legislators throughout the country.

How sports betting laws affect athletes and coaches

There are 25 jurisdictions that explicitly prohibit an athlete or related person from betting:

Of those, four include penalties for the person betting – the others penalize the sportsbook/license holder:

Ten jurisdictions explicitly via law and/or regulation bar the use of non-public information:

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:

StateStream 1Stream 2Stream 3
AlabamaHouse audio Senate audioSenate video
AlaskaHouse and Senate
ArizonaHouse videoSenate video
Arkansas
CaliforniaAssemblySenate
ColoradoHouse and Senate
ConnecticutHouse and Senate
DelawareHouse and Senate
FloridaHouseSenateHouse youtube
GeorgiaHouseSenate
HawaiiHouse and Senate
IdahoHouse and Senate
IllinoisHouseSenate
IndianaHouseSenate
IowaHouseSenate
KansasHouse and Senate
KentuckyHouse and Senate
LouisianaHouseSenate
MaineHouse and Senate
MarylandHouse and Senate
MassachusettsHouseSenate
MichiganSenate
MinnesotaHouseSenate
Mississippi
MissouriHouse and Senate
Montana
NebraskaHouse and Senate
NevadaHouse and Senate
New HampshireHouse and Senate
New Jersey
New MexicoHouse and Senate
New YorkAssembly
North CarolinaHouse and Senate
North DakotaHouse and Senate
OhioHouse and Senate
OklahomaHouseSenate
OregonOregon
PennsylvaniaHouseSenate
Rhode IslandHouse and Senate
South CarolinaHouseSenate
South DakotaHouse and Senate
TennesseeHouseSenateJoint
TexasHouseSenate
Utah
VermontHouse and Senate
VirginiaHouseSenate
WashingtonHouse and Senate
West VirginiaHouseSenateAudio-only both
WisconsinHouse and Senate
WyomingHouseSenate

Previous sports betting bills

Here is the recent history of bills related to sports betting in the United States:

2019 legislation

StateBill
ArizonaSB 1158
SB 1163
CaliforniaCalifornia Sports Wagering Initiative, No. 18-0003
ConnecticutS 665
S 17
HawaiiH 1107
IllinoisS 176
IndianaH 1363
S 552
IowaH 101
H 102
H 103
H 124
H 198
S 1079
S 1080
S 1081
S 1100
S 1168
KansasHB 2032
HB 2068
S 23
KentuckyHB 12
HB 171
HB 175
HB 190
S 23
LouisianaSB 266
MaineSB 553
Maryland H 1132
MassachusettsHD 2628
HD 2629
SD 903
SD 1110
H 68
S 882
Minnesota Safe and Regulated Sports Gambling Act of 2019
MissouriHB 119
HB 859
SB 44
SB 187
SB 195
SB 222
SB 327
MontanaHB 475
SB 25
North CarolinaSB 154
North DakotaH 1254 
 H 1295
New HampshireH 480
 S 310
OhioS 316
South CarolinaH 3409
S 57
S 71
South Dakota SJR 2
TennesseeH 1
S 16
H 666
S 1055
TexasH 1275
VermontS 59
VirginiaH 1638
H 1890
H 2210
H 2321
H 2536
S 1126
S 1238
S 1356
WashingtonH 1975
H 1992

2018 legislation

StateBill(s)SynopsisLatest News
CaliforniaACA 18Constitutional amendment would legalize sports betting.Latest news
ConnecticutH 5307

S 540
Bills would legalize sports betting.Latest news
District of ColumbiaB 22-944Bill would legalize sports betting.
IllinoisH 4214

H 5186

S 7

S 2478

S 3125

S 3432
Bills would legalize or prohibit sports betting.Latest news
IndianaS 405

H 1325
Bills would legalize sports betting.Latest news
IowaH 2448Bill would legalize sports betting.Latest news
KansasH 2533

H 2752

H 2792

H 2793

S 455
Bills would legalize sports betting.Latest news
KentuckyBR 155

H 536
Bills would legalize sports betting.Latest news
LouisianaH 245

S 266
Bills would legalize sports betting via referendum.Latest news
MarylandS 836

HB 1346

HB 1014
Bills would legalize sports betting via referendum.Latest news
MassachusettsS 2273Bill would study legalization and regulation of sports betting.Latest news
MichiganH 4060

H 4261

H 4926*
Bills would legalize sports betting; first via referendum; second would allow parlay wagering; third would legalize online gambling.

*Passed by legislature Dec. 2018 but vetoed by governor.
Latest news
MississippiH 1113

H 1154
First bill would prohibit sports betting; second would study tax rates for sports betting.Latest news
MissouriH 2320

H 2406

H 2535

S 767

S 1009

S 1013
Bills would legalize sports betting.Latest news
New JerseyS 2602*Passed June 2018. Bills would legalize sports betting.Latest news
New YorkA 11144

S 1282

S 7900

A 5438

A 10322

A 11225
Bills would broaden legalization of sports betting; last two would create a task force to study sports betting.Latest news
OhioH 714

S 316
Placeholder bills express intent to legalize sports betting.Latest news
OklahomaH 3375

S 1175
Bills would legalize sports betting as part of tribal gaming package; “sports pools” language removed by amendment.Latest news
Rhode IslandS 2045

H 8320

H 7200*
*Passed June 2018. Bills would legalize sports betting; third is the state budget proposal.Latest news
South CarolinaH 3102Bill would legalize sports betting.Latest news
West VirginiaH 2751

S 106

S 415*

H 4396
*Passed March 2018. Bills would legalize sports betting.Latest news
USH 783

H 4530
Bills would allow individual states to legalize sports betting.

2017 legislation

StateBill(s)SynopsisLatest News
CaliforniaACA 18Constitutional amendment would legalize sports betting in the state.Latest news
ConnecticutH 6948**Passed July 2017. Bill would allow regulators to prepare for legal sports betting, should state and federal law allow.Latest news
HawaiiH 927Bill would study legalization and regulation of gambling, including sports betting.Latest news
KentuckyB 155Bill would legalize sports betting.Latest news
MarylandH 989Bill would create a task force to study sports betting.Latest news
MichiganH 4060

H 4261

H 4926
Bills would legalize sports betting; first via referendum; second would allow parlay wagering; third would legalize online gambling.Latest news
MississippiH 967**Passed March 2017. Bill would allow state to regulate sports betting under fantasy sports law.Latest news
New JerseyS 3375Bill would repeal sports betting prohibition.Latest news
New YorkS 1282

A 5438
Bills would broaden legalization of sports betting.Latest news
OklahomaS 857Bill would legalize sports betting as part of tribal gaming package.Latest news
PennsylvaniaH 519

H 271*
*Passed Oct. 2017. Bills would legalize sports betting; first is standalone bill; second is part of omnibus gambling expansion package.Latest news
South CarolinaH 3102Bill would legalize sports betting and gambling.Latest news
West VirginiaH 2751Bill would legalize sports betting.Latest news
USH 783Bill would allow individual states to legalize sports betting.

2016 legislation

StateBill(s)SynopsisLatest News
CaliforniaA 1441Bill would legalize sports betting.Latest news
DelawareS 183Bill would expand existing sports betting lottery.Latest news
New JerseyBill became law in 2014; challenged in court.Bill would legalize sports betting.Latest news
New YorkS 940Bill would legalize sports betting.Latest news
PennsylvaniaHR 619Bill would legalize sports betting.Latest news

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