IS SPORTS BETTING LEGAL in the United States?
Until May 2018, betting on sports at the USA was basically restricted to placing a bet in person at a sportsbook in Nevada. That all changed when the Skilled and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), also Called the Bradley Act, has been struck down by the Supreme Court. Now that PASPA is dead, every nation has the capacity to establish its own legislation for online and in-person sports betting.
Laws and principles surrounding sports betting fluctuate from state to state. New Jersey, for instance, moved extremely quickly and passed a legislation to allow legal sports betting online and in person in June 2018. West Virginia and Pennsylvania now allow in-person betting but not online. Other states, like California and New York, have to legalize sports wagering.
How Can You BET ON SPORTS LEGALLY IN THE USA?
Sports gambling in the USA is governed on a state-by-state foundation, meaning you have to either live in or travel to a state that has legalized sports betting in order to bet on sports legally (see map below). As soon as you’ve entered a state where sports gambling is legal, it’s time to obtain a valid sportsbook, either online or by visiting a brick-and-mortar location (and again, this can vary state-by-state).
WHERE CAN I BET ON SPORTS IN THE UNITED STATES?
A map of where to wager on sports in the USA WHERE IS SPORTS BETTING LEGAL IN THE USA?
Nevada
Not much has changed in Nevada post-PASPA. Bettors can place wagers in person at one of many sportsbooks across the state. Many sportsbooks do offer cellular wagering within state limits but online accounts have to be enrolled, verified, and financed in person at the sportsbooks.
Learn more about betting on sports in Nevada
New Jersey
New Jersey became one of the first states to modify its regulation post-PASPA in June 2018. Bettors are now able to place wagers on sports at quite a few brick-and-mortar sportsbooks in addition to through online programs as long as you’re within state limits.
Learn more about gambling on sports in New Jersey
West Virginia
West Virginia began offering legal sports betting in August 2018 and is currently available at sportsbooks in a couple of casinos. In late December 2018, online wagering became available through the BetLucky program, along with other big players are expected to be online shortly.
Learn more about betting on sports in West Virginia.
Pennsylvania
The Keystone State established sports gambling at November 2018 and now has five sportsbooks across the state. Online betting isn’t an option just yet but that may happen as soon as 2019.
Find out more about gambling on sports in Pennsylvania.
Mississippi
Mississippi reversed the change and started accepting single-game wagering on sports at August 2018. Sports gambling, like all gaming in the country, is currently limited to land- and – water-based casinos. The law does allow mobile sports betting on casino property, even though it isn’t presently available.
Find out more about sports gambling in Mississippi.
Delaware
Delaware moved fast post-PASPA and began accepting sports gambling at its casinos on June 5. The current law allows for mobile and online wagering, even though it currently isn’t offered.
Find out more about sports betting in Delaware.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island began accepting sports bets in late November 2018 in the Twin River Casino and then in December 2018 at the Twin River Tiverton Casino. The legal age for gambling on sports in Rhode Island is 18, whereas its 21 in most other nations. Online sports betting is legal as of March 25, 2019, but is not yet available.
Learn more about sports gambling in Rhode Island.
New Mexico
New Mexico took its first sports wager in October 2018 in the Santa Ana Star Casino & Hotel. No new law was passed, but after PASPA, sports betting is permitted because a gaming compact which the casino has with the state. Sports betting is still prohibited online and everywhere in the nation.
Arkansas
Sports betting officially established in Arkansas on July 1, 2019, once the first legal sports bet was approved at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort. Presently, Oaklawn is the sole property to provide sports gambling. Arkansas becomes the ninth state in the country to legalize sports gambling.
WHAT OTHER STATES WILL LEGALIZE SPORTS BETTING SOON?
Sports gambling should be legal in a few more states in 2019 and plenty more are expected to roll out fresh laws in the coming years.
California
A pair of lawmakers from the Golden State are hoping to legalize sports betting since Sen. Bill Dodd and Assemblyman Adam Gray introduced a ballot measure in late June 2019. This would give Californians the opportunity to vote on changing the state Constitution — and legalize sports gambling — in the November 2020 election.
Connecticut
Connecticut, along with New York, needed a state-level law set up in 2017 ahead of the legalization from the federal government. Sports betting did not become a reality in 2018 however there’s hope for 2019 as a new invoice emerged in March that could legalize sports betting.
Find out more about gambling on sports at Connecticut.
Illinois
Sports gambling in Illinois is official after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed it into law in late June after lawmakers and the Senate passed a wide expansion of gaming that includes sports gambling in earlier in the month.
Find out more about gambling on sports at Illinois.
Indiana
Indiana has moved fast in 2019 to make legalized sports gambling a reality and on February 26 the state Senate passed a gaming bill (SB 552) that would include sports betting. The bill moved through the House in late April and received Gov. Eric Holcomb’s signature on May 8, meaning legalized sports gambling from Indiana is on its way. The projected launch date is September 1, 2019.
Learn more about betting on sports in Indiana.
Iowa
Sports gambling is officially legal in Iowa after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed charge SF 617 in law on May 13, 2019. Iowa is looking at summertime 2019 for the launching of sport gambling. The new law allows for both mobile and retail wagering, though mobile accounts will need in-person registration via the end of 2020.
Find out More about gambling on sports at Iowa
Maine
Maine has taken a play from Illinois’ and Indiana’s playbooks in passing a sports gambling bill in the last moment. Bill LD 553 made it through the Senate on June 18, 2019, then was approved by the House. The bill now faces extra votes and a signature from the Governor, but it is expected to be put into law in 2019.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced plans to legalize sports betting in the country when he introduced a bill to the nation’s legislature in mid-January, 2019. Baker’s invoice, or one of those four others that were introduced in mid-January, is predicted to pass, meaning legalized sports gambling in Massachusetts should be coming shortly.
Find out more about betting on sports in Massachusetts.
Michigan
It looked like it online sports betting was to eventually become a reality in Michigan if lawmakers passed a bill in late December 2018 that could legalize it. A few days afterwards, however, and only 3 days before leaving office, Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed the bill. Lawmakers will continue to try and legalize it but it will probably be 2021 before online sports betting is allowed in Michigan.
Montana
Montana became the ninth state in the country — and first in 2019 — to legalize sports gambling when Gov. Steve Bullock signed a bill on May 3. The state lottery will oversee sports gambling which will be managed through kiosks and mobile programs. The country expects to launch sports gambling by the fall of 2019.
New York
New York is just another nation that had a state law which legalized sports gambling on the novels before PASPA dropped in May 2018. Back in 2013, New York voted to allow the construction of four new casinos which would also take sports wagers. The Supreme Court’s decision last May triggered legalized sports betting in New York and all that was required was for the New York State Gambling Commission to pass a pair of sport wagering rules. That occurred on June 10, 2019, making sports betting officially legal.
Find out More about betting on sports at New York.
Oregon
Oregon has a law in place that allows some types of sports betting and actually used to offer you a football parlay card through its state lottery, even though that stopped about a decade back. The country plans to roll out single-game sports wagering throughout the state lottery and it’s targeting September 8, 2019, since the launch date.
Tennessee
Tennessee became the fourth country to legalize sports gambling at 2019 when Gov. Bill Lee returned the Tennessee Sports Gambling Act (HB001/SB0016) into the General Assembly on May 24 with no trademark, allowing the bill to become law. Sports betting in Tennessee is going to be unique since it’ll be online only and there will not be some brick-and-mortar locations.
Learn more about sports gambling in Tennessee.
Washington D.C.
The country’s capital combined the sports gaming arena in late 2018, passing a law that will enable its lottery to manage legalized sports betting. There are not any strategies for casinos and the big-name apps won’t be accessible within the jurisdiction, but there will be an online app available, as well as brick-and-mortar locations run from the DC Lottery. Expectations are for it to be live by September 2019.
Learn more about gambling on sports in Washington D.C.
SPORTS BETTING FAQS
How do you wager on sports?
There are several distinct ways to bet on sportsbetting. The most common approaches are generally betting on the moneyline (who will win the match ), the spread (which team will win or not lose by a predetermined margin of points), and the total (whether or not the entire amount of points will be Over or Under a predetermined total). Find out more about sports betting basics and approaches within our How to Bet section.
Is sports betting legal in Europe?
Sports betting is governed on a country-by-country basis in Europe. Online sports gambling is legal in several European countries, like the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Spain, and Russia.
Is sports gambling legal in Canada?
Generally speaking, yes. Canadians can place sports bets via their provincial lotteries and may also place wagers with offshore sportsbooks who operate in a legal gray area in Canada.
Are online gambling sites and apps secure?
For the most part, online betting websites are safe. To make sure that you are protected, make sure to set your wagers using a legal sportsbook from the USA as all these are heavily controlled by political authorities.
What are offshore sports gambling apps and websites?
Offshore sports betting apps and sites refer to online sportsbooks that run beyond the USA. Betting at these sites while in the United States is illegal. Check out Covers’ sportsbook review page for a list of legal sportsbooks in the USA.
Read more: newyork-info.com