State By State Guide To Legal Online Gambling
It is easier than ever for American bettors to find state-sanctioned USA online gambling options. States across the country have been capitalizing on the benefits of taxing online gambling. With some states adding millions to their budget annually, new bills and regulatory focuses have made it clear which states want to expand online gambling and which are comfortable as is.
States With Legal Online Gambling
Arizona - Sports Betting
Arizona Gambling Sites - Arizona has regulated sports betting, and a push from their team owners is forcing them to consider online sports betting as well. Online casino gaming is still only available offshore.
Arkansas
Arkansas Online Gambling - Sports betting has been live in Arkansas since 2022 with the Betly sports betting app and through the Oaklawn casino. The three casinos in the state all have online sportsbooks affiliated with them. All three operators are required to pay a 51% tax on their revenue.
Colorado – Sports Betting
Colorado Online Gambling - In November 2019, state voters voted to legalize traditional sports betting via Proposition DD. There have been other efforts to legalize full online casino betting, but these have all been rebuffed.
Connecticut - Online Sports Betting
Connecticut Online Gambling - Connecticut’s online sportsbooks are currently live, and as of now, that’s the only method of online gambling that the state has regulated. There are tribal casinos available in the state, but only in retail forms at the moment.
Delaware – Casino games
Delaware Online Gambling - Delaware was one of the first states in the country to adopt online casino gambling with the passage of HB 333 in 2012. The state rolled out systems for free slots, blackjack, poker, and roulette in 2013. These were followed by real-money options in 2014.
Florida - Online Sports Betting
Florida Online Gambling Sites - Florida has been a weird state when it comes to their online gambling laws. They had online sports betting for a little over one week and it was taken down after the Seminole Tribe of Florida launched it in the whole state rather than just on tribal lands.
Georgia – Lottery tickets
Georgia Online Gambling - While Georgia has some of the strictest gambling laws in the country, it is one of only six states to sell lottery tickets online. The Georgia Lottery is authorized under Georgia Code 50-27.
Illinois – Sports betting
Illinois Online Gambling - Per SB 690, Illinois residents can now bet on sports via state-licensed online gambling platforms. Online gambling might be in the works, but for now takes place offshore.
Indiana – Sports betting
Indiana Online Gambling - SB 552 permits online sports wagering, but other forms of online gambling are still illegal in Indiana per Indiana Code 35-45-5.
Iowa – Sports betting
Iowa Online Gambling - Online sports betting is legal per SF 617, which allows all licensed casino sportsbook to host two separate online sports betting options. Other forms of online gambling are illegal however.
Kansas – Skill-based games
Kansas Online Gambling - Pursuant to HB 15-2155, Kansas allows residents to wager real money on games of skill—things like Candy Crush or Wheel of Fortune. But the only other state-regulated form of gambling in Kansas is at tribal casinos.
Kentucky – Lottery and horse racing
Kentucky Online Gambling - Lottery and horse racing. Kentucky’s gambling laws are generally very restrictive, but there are sizable exceptions for horse betting, as the state is home to some of the most popular horse racing tracks in the world. This exception has allowed for Churchill Downs to operate its own horse racing website, called Twin Spires. Kentucky is also one of six states to sell online lottery tickets.
Louisiana - Geofenced Online Sports Betting
Louisiana Online Gambling - Louisiana recently allowed online gambling in the form of sports betting, but only in 55 of its parishes. People within those parishes that wish to place wagers will have to be physically located inside the parish at the time of the wager being placed, as the online sports betting apps will be geofenced.
Maine
Maine Online Gambling - The Maine Legislature has regulated online sports betting, and the bill was signed by the Governor, but they currently do not have any running sportsbooks in their state-regulated market, meaning most betting takes place offshore.
Maryland
Maryland Online Gambling - Maryland launched sports betting in November of 2022, and has been running it ever since. There are seven sportsbooks in Maryland's regulated market.
Massachusetts – Horse racing and skill-based game
Massachusetts Gambling Sites - Horse racing and skill-based game. Bettors in Massachusetts can place online wagers on horse races, games of skill, and fantasy sports. All other forms of gambling are illegal pursuant to Code 4-1-271-1.
Michigan – Full online gambling
Michigan Online Gambling - Michigan offers a full compliment of online gambling options, including casino games, games of skill. sports betting, and fantasy sports. HB 4211 legalizes online casino gaming, while HB 4916 authorizes both retail and online sports betting. HB 4308 authorizes real-money fantasy games.
Mississippi - Online Sports Betting
Mississippi Online Gambling - Mississippi is odd in that it has a thriving gambling industry. Biloxi is the third-largest casino town in the United States. Mississippi also approved online sports betting as of Sept. 2021, with BetMGM being the first sportsbook in the state to offer wagers..
Missouri – Skill-based games
Missouri Online Gambling - Missouri bans all forms of gambling, both land-based and online, via Criminal Code 570.020. The state does clarify that “games of skill” are exempted from this prohibition, and that includes things like fantasy sports.
Montana - Lottery Based Sports Betting
Montana Online Gambling - Montana’s online sports betting was recently approved, and there is only one sportsbook option in the state - a lottery operated app called Sports Bet Montana. Because of this monopoly, bettors often look outside the state for line shopping purposes.
Nebraska
Nebraska Gambling Sites - Nebraska has made moves toward gambling, but they are all, unfortunately, land based. Nebraska passed a bill legalizing sports betting and casino gaming in the state, but they are limiting it to land based attractions. There is no timeline for when the regulatory phase will be done and sportsbooks and casinos can open, however.
Nevada – Poker and sports betting
Nevada Gambling Sites - Oddly enough, Nevada does not allow all forms of online casino gambling, possibly as a way to maintain an incentive for player to visit brick-and-mortar casinos. Poker became legal in 2013 with the passage of A.B. 114 (pg. 99). You have to turn to offshore sites that are just as good or better if you want to gamble online in Nevada.
New Hampshire – Horse betting, sports betting, and lottery
New Hampshire Online Gambling - Horse betting, sports betting, and lottery. New Hampshire is one of the few states that offers legal online lottery ticket sales. New Hampshire also legalized online sports betting in December 2019 with the passage of HB 480 and its residents are eligible for online horse betting sites like TVG.
New Jersey – Full online gambling
New Jersey Gambling Sites - New Jersey offers a full complement of online casino games, sports betting, and games of skill. Online casino gaming became legal in 2013 with the passage of Assembly Bill 2578. Sports betting was then legalized in New Jersey during June of 2018 with the passage of bill A4111.
New York
New York Gambling Sites - SB 17D brought online sports betting to the Empire State early on in 2022 and there are nine total online betting sites to choose from here. The laws on sports betting are friendly towards sports betting operators as they are required to pay just an 8.5% in taxes on all of their revenue.
North Carolina
North Carolina Online Gambling - North Carolina does not allow any forms of online gambling. There are two tribal casinos in the state that can offer casino games, sports betting and more, but no options for online gambling. Gambling law in North Carolina is covered under Subchapter XL, Article 37 of the state statutes.
Ohio
Ohio Online Gambling - All forms of online gambling are currently illegal in Ohio. The Ohio House of Representatives is currently considering HB 194 to legalize sports gambling at licensed facilities, but that legalization would not extend to online betting.
Oregon – Games of skill, sports betting, horse betting
Oregon Online Gambling - There are not many options in Oregon that are state regulate, but casinos and online sportsbooks can still be found. ORS 167.109 bans in-state financial transactions for internet gambling, but Oregon residents can still bet on sports via the Oregon Lottery-run Scoreboard app. Games of skill are also exempted from this ban. Per ORS 462.162 (pg. 50), off-track online horse betting is allowed.
Pennsylvania – Full online gambling
Pennsylvania Online Gambling - When Pennsylvania passed HB 271 in 2017, it acted as a blanket legalization bill for online sports betting and online casino gaming.
Rhode Island – Sports, casino, and horse betting
Rhode Island Gambling Sites - Sports and horse betting. Rhode Island’s S 2045 legalized sports betting back in 2018, and then passed S 37 the following year to expand sports betting legalization to include mobile betting. Rhode Island is one of a handful of states that offers off-track online horse betting as well.
Tennessee – Sports betting
Tennessee Online Gambling - In May 2019, Tennessee passed HB1 that legalized online and mobile sports betting to Tennesseans statewide. While there are still no casino gaming options available or retail sportsbooks, these sports wagering applications launched on November 1, 2020.
Vermont
Vermont Online Gambling - Vermont’s Legislature is considering S 213, which would authorize the state to issue retail and online sports gambling licenses. It would not permit other types of online gambling.
Virginia – Sports betting and lottery tickets
Virginia Gambling Sites - In early March, the Virginia House and Senate both voted to pass a new bill, HB 896, that will legalize online sports betting for professional and out-of-state college teams. It will also authorize the sale of lottery tickets over the internet.
Washington D.C. - App Based Sports Betting
Washington DC Gambling Sites - Washington D.C. offers an app, Gambet DC, operated by the DC Lottery. The app is remarkably unpopular among bettors in the area, due to having bad lines and high vigs. It is far more popular to go to Capitol One Arena to place wagers, or to use sportsbooks outside of the state.
West Virginia – Full online gambling
West Virginia Online Gambling - West Virginia legalized sports betting back in 2018 with the passage of S 415, and the first online sportsbooks in the state opened in August 2019. During the 2019 legislative session, West Virginia lawmakers passed HB 2934, which legalized online casino gambling of all kinds.
Wyoming
Wyoming’s online sports betting is active, with launch occurring on September 1, 2021. There are currently only a few operators, but they managed to launch sports betting before the 2021 NFL season started, and they deserve some kudos for doing so. Other forms of online gambling remain unregulated in Wyoming.
States Considering Online Gambling
California
California Gambling Sites - The California Legislature is currently considering HR 5502, which would allow tribal casinos to offer mobile betting to all California resident. The bill is currently in a Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples. No further hearings are scheduled at this time so you will have to stick with the offshore books that millions of California players use.
Minnesota
Minnesota Gambling Sites - Minnesota briefly allowed the sale of lottery tickets via a state-run lottery website, but it repealed that law after general outcry from store owners claiming to rely on customer traffic produced by lottery ticket sales. A piece of legislation introduced in 2019, HB 1894 would have legalized online sports betting, but it got stuck in committee and never passed.
Mississippi
Mississippi Online Gambling - Mississippi is odd in that it has a thriving gambling industry. Biloxi is the third-largest casino town in the United States. But both casino officials and influential Baptist groups throughout the state have formed an unholy alliance to staunchly oppose all efforts to legalize online gambling. Gambling in Mississippi is regulated per Mississippi Code, Title 76— also called the Gambling Control Act.
Texas
Texas Online Gambling - Online and retail gambling are disallowed in Texas per Title 10, Chapter 47 of the Texas Penal Code. Legislators tried and failed in 2019 to legalize online sports betting via HB 1275, but the bill failed to pass and the legislature adjourned in May 2019.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Online Gambling - Wisconsin ratified a constitutional amendment that banned all forms of gambling except for brick-and-mortar keno, bingo, and pari-mutuel racing, along with Wisconsin’s state-run lottery. This has been interpreted to include all online gambling.
States Unlikely To Legalize Online Gambling Soon
Alaska
Alaska Gambling Sites - Alaska’s gambling industry as a whole is very limited and no legislation has been brought up for the legalization or regulation of online casino gaming or poker. If online gambling is coming to Alaska, it is a long way off. All forms of gambling are considered under Alaska Statute 11.66.200.
Hawaii
Hawaii Gambling Sites - Hawaii is one of two states, along with Utah, to offer no regulated gambling of any kind. A bill, called HB 1107, was introduced to the Hawaii Legislature several years ago, but there has been no movement on it in the state. Hawaii is famously draconian with online gambling, so it's a bit of a longshot to regulate any time soon.
Idaho
Idaho Gambling Sites - Idaho’s state constitution prohibits all forms of wagering and gambling. There are a handful of tribal casinos that are exempt to this, but there have been no further efforts to legalize gambling, online or otherwise, on a broader scale.
Montana
Montana Gambling Sites - All online gambling is explicitly banned in Montana pursuant to Montana Code 23-5-112, part 20. Gambling in the state is limited to licensed brick-and-mortar establishments.
New Mexico
New Mexico Gambling Sites - New Mexico allows gambling at its in-state tribal casinos, but all forms of gambling that are not explicitly authorized by the state are considered unequivocally illegal, per §60-2E-4 of the Gaming Control Act.
North Dakota
North Dakota Gambling Sites - Casino gambling in North Dakota is restricted to tribal casinos on Native American reservations per the North Dakota Century Code Chapter 12.1-28. There is little interest in extending gambling beyond these tribal casinos.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Gambling Sites - While there have been legislative efforts to legalize online sports betting, none have gained any traction because of opposition from Oklahoma’s many tribal casinos. It is possible that a bill authorizing these tribal casinos to offer statewide online gambling might pass, but no such bill has been proposed.
South Carolina
South Carolina Gambling Sites - South Carolina’s gambling laws date back to 1802, and it shows. They are very and make no concessions for online gambling. South Carolina gambling laws can be found under Title 16, Chapter 19 of the state’s unannotated Code of Laws.
South Dakota
South Dakota Online Gambling - Internet gambling is explicitly deemed illegal in the state’s Code of Laws, under Code 22-25A-1 through 22-25A15.
Utah
Utah Gambling Sites - Utah has a firm ban on all forms of gambling in its state constitution and will likely never see gambling legalization within our lifetimes. Gambling is also covered under Utah Criminal Code 76-10-1102.
Washington
Washington Online Gambling - Washington only allows in-person gambling at in-state tribal casinos. State lawmakers considered a bill, SB 6277, that would have authorized these casinos to offer mobile sports betting to all state residents. However, the only kind of mobile betting that ended up getting through was restricted to those on the grounds of a tribal casino.
Daily Fantasy Sports Legalization
While there is some debate about whether daily fantasy sports constitute as gambling or even sports gambling, regulation on DFS is sure to expand to end the 2020s. Most American states offer paid daily fantasy games and while some are regulated and taxed, others are left in an open gray area. With the focus on what separates DFS from sports betting, many DFS apps are receiving cease and desist letters depending on the state.
Full = access to all daily fantasy
Limited = access to some daily fantasy
None = no access to daily fantasy
- Alabama – No College Player Props
- Alaska – Full
- Arizona – Full
- Arkansas – Full
- California – Full
- Colorado – Full
- Connecticut – None
- Delaware – Unregulated
- Florida – Unregulated
- Georgia – Full
- Hawaii – None
- Idaho – None
- Illinois – Full
- Indiana – Full
- Iowa – Full
- Kansas – Full
- Kentucky – Full
- Louisiana – Limited By Parish
- Maine – Full
- Maryland – Full
- Massachusetts – Full
- Michigan – Full
- Minnesota – Full
- Mississippi – Full
- Missouri – Unregulated
- Montana – None
- Nebraska – Full
- Nevada – None
- New Hampshire – Full
- New Jersey – Full
- New Mexico – Full
- New York – Full
- North Carolina – Full
- North Dakota – Full
- Ohio – Full
- Oklahoma – Full
- Oregon – Full
- Pennsylvania – Full
- Rhode Island – Full
- South Carolina – Full
- South Dakota – Full
- Tennessee – Full
- Texas – Full
- Utah – Full
- Vermont – Full
- Virginia – Full
- Washington – None
- West Virginia – Full
- Wisconsin – Full
- Wyoming – Full
Why Choose Legal Online Gambling Over Traditional Land-Based Gambling
- Convenient and fast
- Better live betting functionality
- More bet types
- Better odds
- Bet from anywhere
- More consumer choice
Online gambling excels with streamlined, efficient betting accessible from any device, taking under 30 seconds to place a bet. Major gambling sites online provide advanced infrastructure, offering diverse bet types, expansive live dealer options, and competitive odds. Fosters industry competition, it benefits consumers, ensuring a wide array of choices in a world of high online gambling standards. When it comes to traditional land-based gambling, some casinos seem untrustworthy the second you enter, can be miles away, and table minimums can often be much higher too.
The Legality of Online Gambling Within The States FAQ's
What Is The Minimum Age To Gamble Online In My State?
Every state is different, but in most states, the minimum age to gamble will be either 18 or 21 years old. This is for both online gambling sites and brick-and-mortar, in-person casinos or racetracks. If you elect to use a gambling site, the minimum age is dictated by their terms and conditions, which often say to follow local laws. Signing up for horse racing is best, as the minimum age to bet on horses is generally set at 18.
Can I Go To Jail For Online Gambling?
Not unless you are personally operating an illegal online gambling website. Anti-gambling laws in the United States have always been designed to target distributors and operators, not individual bettors.
Are Non-U.S. Regulated Betting Sites A Safe Option?
As with most of these questions, the answer is that it depends. If you use a reputable gambling site like Bovada, your money and personal information is safe evident from the thousands of customers they still serve every day. If you elect to try smaller, less established gambling sites, it's a true gamble and you may be opening yourself up to issues.
How To Get Online Gambling Legalized In Your State
If you want to see your state become a state with legal online gambling so you can buy some lottery tickets online or wager a few dollars on your favorite team, you’ll want to get in touch with the office of your local representatives and express to them that you strongly support legalizing online gambling. Every major change starts with minor grassroots action, so don’t think that just because you only have one voice it means you are powerless. If you have no luck in organizing to convince your representatives that legalized gambling is an important issue to focus on, donate, canvas, table, and do everything in your power to support another candidate who will. Representatives are supposed to represent the interests of their constituents, so you aren’t doing your civic duty if you aren’t working as hard as you can to make sure your interests are heard.
Even if you don’t care about gambling personally, it is still important to recognize the potential benefits of gambling tax revenues. Taxes on sports betting in the United States can generate millions of dollars annually for states to put toward funds for education and infrastructure improvements. There is perhaps no more lucrative way to both provide people with entertainment and improve a community simultaneously, save for maybe a professional sports franchise using the Green Bay Packers’ public ownership model. No matter who you are, legalizing gambling, whether retail or online or both, is a net benefit.