Vermont Sports Betting
Vermont sports betting is not legal, but that could change in the coming weeks. A sports betting bill on the precipice of passing in the Vermont legislature would make Vermont online sports betting legal throughout the state.
Is Vermont sports betting legal?
Not yet. Vermont sports betting Bill H127 passed through the House before the Senate made a couple amendments and also passed it. After the House approved those changes, legal Vermont sports betting is now a signature from Gov. Phil Scott away from legalization.
What will Vermont sports betting look like?
The exact date for launch is a little unclear at this time, but a timeline laid out in the bill states January 2024 as the likely month.
Bill H127 authorizes two to six online Vermont sports betting apps offering online sports betting promos, but the total number will depend on how many contracts the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery can secure with operators. Lawmakers have indicated they expect two or three. Each operator would pay $500,000 for a Vermont sports betting license, followed by a fee that decreases per operator added annually over the next three years. The bill states that the state’s minimum revenue-sharing rate will be 20%.
In-person sports betting would remain illegal with the state lacking the physical infrastructure to host brick-and-mortar sportsbooks.
The minimum age to bet in Vermont will be 21, and betting on college sports is allowed under the bill.
Legal betting options in Vermont
Right now, there are no legal betting options in Vermont. The closest option would be any of the upstate New York casinos, crossing the Canadian border into Quebec or going to New Hampshire and downloading the DraftKings Sportsbook app.
Should the state legalize betting after studying other states, the market should look largely like others around the US. That means standard bet types and restrictions, including amateur sports events.
Vermont could ban bettors from wagering on in-state college teams since there’s likely just one school that would be affected. Since most states only allow betting on Division I colleges, Vermont could block betting on the University of Vermont Catamounts.
Most popular sports to bet on in Vermont
Vermont is one of the rare US states that does not have a professional sports team. Given Vermont’s location in the US, there are a couple of teams that could be popular to bet on.
Since Vermont is a part of New England, the NFL‘s New England Patriots could be one of the heaviest-bet teams in the state. All of the Boston-area teams, especially the Celtics, Bruins and Red Sox, would be some of the most popular teams in the state to bet on.
Hockey is also a popular sport in the state. The state has two nearby choices to support: the Boston Bruins or the Montreal Canadiens. College hockey wagering also would be popular if allowed.
Vermont and Daily Fantasy Sports
Vermont is one of the few US states that legalized daily fantasy sports.
The bill, passed in 2017, allows sports fans to enter DFS contests with popular operators like DraftKings and FanDuel.
The legislation was required after former Attorney General William Sorrell‘s office said daily fantasy sports contests go against the state’s gaming laws. Sorrell never officially released an opinion on DFS but assistant attorney general John Treadwell announced the office’s stance on its legality.
Is horse racing legal in Vermont?
Horse racing is legal in Vermont but there are no tracks licensed to offer racing.
Betting on horse races online is legal, however. That means anyone in Vermont can download horse race betting apps like FanDuel TV (formerly TVG) and TwinSpires.
Vermont sports betting timeline
2023
February 2023: A sports betting proposal begins to move through the statehouse. The bill (H. 127), introduced by Rep. Matthew Birong, would authorize between two to six Vermont sports betting apps.
HB 127 would also move the legal age for daily fantasy sports users from 18 to 21.
February 17, 2023: Bill H127 cleared its first committee in a 9-3 vote by The House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs sending it to the next of at least four more committee stops before a House floor vote.
March 24, 2023: A Vermont sports betting bill cleared a legislative chamber for the first time, passing in the House. Backed by the governor, the bill will now be read in the state Senate.
May 2, 2023: Bill H127 is on the Senate agenda for a final vote after a favorable report from the Senate Committee on Appropriations and passing the House.
May 4, 2023: Bill H127 passes in the Senate, meaning the state is on the precipice of legalizing online sports betting pending another approval of the amendments by the House and a signature from the governor.
2021
October 2021: The study on the sports-betting industry in the US is completed and submitted. It includes information on potential revenue and and taxation.
June 8, 2021: Vermont passes HB 313, an act related to amendments to alcoholic beverage laws that also requires a study on the sports betting industry be done by October 15, 2021.
Feb. 11, 2021: Sen. Dick Spears introduces SB 77 which proposes legalize sports betting under the authority of the Department of Liquor and Lottery and would allow up to six sportsbooks to operate in the state. The bill is read and referred to Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs but has no progressed beyond that point.
2020
There were two sports betting bills that saw action in 2020, but just one went past the first step.
S 213 was filed in January by Sens. Dick Spears and Michael Sirotkin to legalize mobile-only sports betting.
It would have taxed revenue at 10%. Daily fantasy sports revenue would also have been taxed at 10%, replacing the current $5,000 annual fee.
The bill stalled after its first reading in a Senate committee.
Sirotkin’s S 59 was originally introduced in 2019 but saw little action. It was revived in March 2020 and made its way through the Senate to the House.
2019: H 484 was introduced by Rep. Thomas Burditt. It would have legalized online and retail sports betting regulated by the Board of Liquor and Lottery.
But the bill never got off the ground. It was read for the first time in a House committee and never touched again.
Potential sportsbook apps in Vermont
If and when the state of Vermont legalizes sports betting, these are some sportsbook apps that could potential be players in the state. All of these apps already operate in some fashion in the Northeast.
- DraftKings Sportsbook
- FanDuel Sportsbook
- Caesars Sportsbook
- BetMGM Sportsbook
- BetRivers Sportsbook
Vermont sports betting FAQ
Is sports betting legal in Vermont?
No, currently there is no legal sports betting in Vermont. That could change within the coming months, however, as the state legislature is considering further study of legal wagering.
Where can I bet on sports in Vermont?
There is no legal sports betting in Vermont, so there’s nowhere a legal bet could be placed. The closest locations for legal betting would be in New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
Can I bet on my phone in Vermont?
No, betting on your phone is not legal in Vermont since there’s no law authorizing legal betting.
There are some websites that will suggest they can accept bets from within Vermont and the rest of the United States. But these offshore sportsbook operators are not licensed to operate in the US, meaning there’s little consumer protection for anyone betting from the US.
This could lead to an offshore sportsbook choosing not to pay out winning bets or not returning consumer funds if the operation shuts down. Bettors in the US would have no legal claim to their funds.