Legal Sports Betting States: Where You Can Bet Online & In-Person

On May 14th, 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), setting the stage for legal sports betting to spread across the United States.

Since that day, more and more states across the country have passed sports betting bills that have allowed for the creation of a legal sports betting market. These markets vary wildly in shape and size across the different states.

Since the power to legalize sports betting now rests in the hands of the states themselves, we are left with a confusing landscape where it can be completely legal to place a bet in one jurisdiction yet strictly illegal to do the same just a 30-minute drive over state lines.

Different states also have different rules surrounding where and how you can place bets, as well as what you can be betting on in the state.

With the rules changing all the time, it can be difficult to stay up to date across the American sports betting landscape. We’ve covered all 50 states with legal updates on the sports betting market so that you can be fully equipped with the information that you need to know.

Legal gambling states with sports betting

Arizona

Arizona has been an industry leader in the sports betting world and has a fully regulated market live within its borders. There are 20 available licenses in Arizona and 18 of them have already been assigned to an operator.

There are also many retail sports betting locations within the state. This includes multiple in-person sportsbooks that are located at professional sports stadiums, including at Footprint Centre, the major basketball arena in Phoenix.

Mobile sports betting is also fully legal in Arizona as gamblers can use their phones to place wagers. Some of the operators that are live in Arizona include BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, BetRivers, Betfred, and FanDuel.

Arkansas

Arkansas opened three retail sports betting locations in 2019 as the birth of its legal sports betting market. Since then, gamblers in the state have been granted more options as the state has changed the details. Even with all the changes, the three casinos still hold plenty of power in the state.

• Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort

• Saracen Casino

• Southland Casino Racing

Besides those first retail sportsbooks, Arkansas has now also allowed for online wagering to take place. However, national operators must partner with one of the three casinos in the state and split 51% of the revenue with that local casino.

This has led to big names like DraftKings and FanDuel being slow to enter the state as the market is more regulated than others. However, there are online sportsbooks available in the state including Betly Online Sportsbook and BET Saracan.

Colorado

Sports betting in Colorado was approved in the second half of 2019 with the first bets being accepted in May 2020. Since Colorado launched sports betting, its market has grown to be one of the most popular across the country. In January 2023, sportsbooks in the state had a total handle of $547.2 million USD.

To get a sports betting license in the state, sportsbook operators must partner with a land-based casino within the state. This means that there are 33 potential licenses, more than enough to create plenty of healthy competition.

As of now, sports fans in Colorado can place bets at retail locations, at online sportsbooks, or through mobile betting.

Connecticut

Connecticut legalized online sports betting in May 2021, making the state one of the first in the northeast to have legalized sports gambling. At the moment, gamblers can bet in person and online in the state.

Online sports betting responsibilities in Connecticut are shared between the state lottery and the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes. Soon after legalization, those groups teamed up with DraftKings, FanDuel, and SugarHouse to launch online sportsbooks.

There are several retail sports betting locations open in Connecticut. The law allows for up to fifteen and while there aren’t that many yet, the state lottery alone runs seven in-person betting locations.

Delaware

Delaware was the first state to offer retail sports betting besides Nevada. That happened on June 5th, 2018 when sports betting launched in Delaware shortly after the federal ban was lifted by the Supreme Court ruling.

Delaware has three in-person sportsbooks that gamblers in the state can visit to make bets. However, there are no online betting options in the state. All sports betting activity in Delaware is run by the state lottery.

Illinois

In-person sportsbooks and online sports betting launched within a two-month period in 2020 for Illinois.

Despite launching the legal market in 2020, growth in the state didn’t explode until lawmakers got rid of a rule that forced potential gamblers to register in-person before betting online. Now, sports bettors can use their phones or computers to complete the entire process.

This has led Illinois, the sixth-largest state by population, to explode. The total sports betting handle in the state topped $1 billion for four consecutive months from the end of 2022 through the start of 2023.

Indiana

Indiana legalized sports betting in September 2019 and launched online capabilities about a month later. This has led to a mature sports betting market in the state that allows for in-person sports betting as well as online betting.

With the way that the law is written in Indiana, there is the potential for up to 40 online sportsbooks. However, we’ve seen just about a dozen move into the market including all of the regular names such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars.

Iowa

Iowa has legalized sports wagering in all forms as users can place wagers at commercial casinos, online sportsbooks, and with their phone. Legal sports wagering has been permitted since 2019 when Iowa first opened its market.

It is one of the only states with legal sports betting in its area, making it a destination for sports bettors in neighboring areas.

“Gov. Reynolds believes that legalizing sports betting will bring this practice out of an unregulated black market. This law will regulate, tax, and police sports betting in a safe and responsible way,” said Pat Garrett, the spokesman for the governor at the time of legalization. 

There are more than a dozen operators live in Iowa including Bet365, DraftKings, and BetMGM.

Kansas

Legal sports betting is alive and well in Kansas where operators started to accept bets on September 1st, 2022. Since legalizing sports betting, Kansas has seen around ten online sportsbook operators move into the state.

The sports betting bill that was passed in Kansas is quite permissive and allows for retail sports betting locations to be placed at arenas. That may be something that we see more in the state in the future.

The tribal casinos in the state also have the power to partner with operators and launch a legalized sports betting enterprise. This means that there is the potential for plenty of competing companies in the state.

Louisiana

Louisiana passed the bill that legalized sports wagering in the state in November 2020. It had overwhelming support as it passed in 55 of the 64 parishes. You must be located within one of those parishes to place a bet legally in Louisana.

You can bet on all types of events within the state including college sports. There are both retail sports betting locations and online sportsbooks available for residents and people visiting the state. There are a lot of visitors from Texas that place bets in Louisiana.

The bill that was passed in Louisiana is written in such a way that a total of 41 mobile sports betting operators could function legally. Since there are less than ten at the moment, it’s expected that this market could develop further.

Maryland

While Maryland made the decision to legalize sports betting in 2020, it would be another two years before anyone within the state could actually place a wager. Finally, in 2022, the regulated market went live in the state.

Maryland made the decision that it would legalize sports betting but took a long time to act on it. However, that is all in the past as the state is now home to many different options including in-person betting and online.

The bill in Maryland made room for 60 online operators and 30 retail locations. While these spots haven’t all been taken, it’s expected that more companies will move into the state over the coming years.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts was a big state that many were keeping an eye on as it’s home to some of the most historic professional sports franchises in the country including the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, and New England Patriots. On August 1st, 2022, lawmakers in Massachusetts made the decision that the state would legalize sports betting and passed the required bill.

The first retail sportsbook began to accept bets on the first day of 2023 with online sports betting following a few months later. Each casino in the state is allowed to partner with two online operators and each racetrack with one.

One rule to take note of in Massachusetts is that you cannot bet on any college sports games that feature local teams unless they are taking place in a tournament with four or more teams. This means that big events like the NCAA March Madness Tournament are exempt.

Michigan

Michigan is one of the premier sports betting states across the entire United States of America. The first retail sportsbook opened on March 11, 2020 with online sports betting following just short of a year later.

There are 15 online sportsbooks currently live in Michigan. As per the current wording of the law, that is the maximum permitted. The reason why so many operators have flocked to Michigan is because there is a large sports culture and the law is written in a friendly way for sportsbooks.

Not only does Michigan have one of the most robust legal sports betting markets in the country, it also allows online casino gambling. This means that is has perhaps the most developed online gambling market in the country.

Mississippi

Mississippi was one of the first states, especially in the south, to accept legal sports betting. However, the market has not matured much in the state and there are strict rules surrounding sports wagering.

While you can place bets from your phone online, you must be located inside a casino with a sportsbook to do so. This means that while mobile sports betting is technically legal, there is a huge caveat to take note of.

With no online sports betting outside of casinos, Mississippi is missing out on the chance to further develop its market and become a leader in the south. However, it seems like we are far away from the state making the call that they would legalize sports betting in all aspects.

Montana

Montana does not have a huge sports betting culture and while it is possible to make legal wagers, the rules around doing so are quite strict. Similarly to Mississippi, mobile sports betting is legal but you must be located at a state casino to access it.

Everything in the state is run through the state lottery which is controlled by Intralot. With no competition, the sports gambling product is far from the best. In short, while Montana has legalized mobile sports betting, the market is still very restrictive.

Nevada

Nevada is the mecca of gambling across the United States and it’s no surprise that it is among the states with legal sports betting. Gamblers have been visiting Nevada for a long time to place wagers on the top sporting events from around the world.

However, when online betting launched in Nevada, the reception wasn’t as amazing as some people hoped. You still need to visit an in-person betting location to register before you can place bets online. Changing this rule would help the state increase its monthly handle.

“I think remote registration would be huge,” Matthew Holt said, the president of US Integrity and industry veteran. “With all the cross-border business, there is no reason it couldn’t potentially double handle.”

Nevada has for a long time been the king of sports betting but as we see more states open up regulated markets, it could be the end of an era for the longtime king.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire does have a legal sports betting market but it is very limited. DraftKings is the sole online operator and there are a handful of retail sports betting locations. There is the possibility that more online operators come soon, especially one connected to the state lottery.

In the state, you are not allowed to make any wagers on college sports games that involve a school from New Hampshire.

New Jersey

New Jersey is a significant state in the sports betting world as it was the one to challenge PASPA and help make the activity legal at the federal level. When the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban, that was due to the efforts of New Jersey.

Today, New Jersey is an industry leader in the space that consistently ranks as one of the most active states, even regularly beating Nevada in terms of total monthly handle. The state has 20 online sportsbooks with more coming all the time.

Revenue continues to grow in New Jersey as the state provides a shining example of what happens when a jurisdiction decides to legalize online betting. Many states wish they had as successful a market as New Jersey.

New Mexico

There are six different retail sports betting locations in the state of New Mexico. These are located at tribal casinos that operate in a confusing area of the law. While there has been no official legislation that has passed to legalize sports betting in the state, these tribal casinos have been accepting bets since 2018.

This is because the tribal casinos consider their ability to offer Class III Gaming services to encompass sports betting. It’s now been five years that they have been love and there is no sign of them slowing down. However, building past in person wagering seems to be a distant possibility at this point in time.

New York

When New York launched a legal online sports betting market in early 2022, it was massive news. The state is home to almost 20 million people and it has the largest population of any legal state.

While there were some retail locations at commercial casinos accepting bets in the state before January 8th, 2022, the decision to legalize the online market really changed the game for New York. That online sports betting launch has led to New York handling more than $1.5 billion in bets most months.

New York and New Jersey have made their corner of America into a focus for the sports betting industry as they are home to two of the largest sports betting markets. New York does have a high tax on operators, setting a path for other states to follow the “New York model”.

North Carolina

North Carolina started its legal sports betting industry by allowing two tribal casinos to accept bets within state borders. That was in 2021 and since then there hasn’t been a ton of progress within the state.

While the first in-person bets were placed in 2021, the decision to legalize sports betting actually happened in 2019. In terms of an online market within North Carolina, things have been similarly slow-moving.

North Carolina online sports betting bills have made it through numerous steps before falling just short in the state twice before. This means that there is optimism that some type of legislation gets passed soon, either this year or next, to approve an online market in North Carolina.

Recently, North Carolina did manage to get some legislation passed for online sports betting. This means that in the not-so-distant future, sports bettors in the state should be able to bet using mobile devices.

North Dakota

Just like in New Mexico, tribal casinos in North Dakota have taken it upon themselves to open retail sports betting locations despite there being no official bills that have passed. Inside North Dakota, there has not been a lot of momentum to build a legal sports betting market that’s more robust than the current limited options.

If you’re living in North Dakota and looking to bet on sports, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to register at any of the big players anytime soon.

Ohio

Ohio did pass a bill to legalize sports betting in late 2021. It then took until the start of 2023 for the legal market to go live. When sports betting launched in the state, there were more than a dozen operators ready to go. This has led to a very healthy market in the state, from the sports betting launch to this day.

Since Ohio legalized sports betting, we’ve seen the state jump to be one of the most popular in terms of overall handle. With plenty of historic franchises in the state, this hasn’t been too big of a surprise but it’s encouraging to see the success of this market.

Oregon

There is just a single online sports betting option for people in Oregon. That would be the state lottery-powered mobile sportsbook that is offered to people in the state. However, without the competition that comes from a free market, the sports betting product in Oregon is rather subpar. That one sportsbook is currently connected with DraftKings.

There are a few retail sports betting locations that you can visit to place wagers in person. In Oregon, you cannot bet on any college sports that involve teams from the state or games that are taking place within state borders.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is home to one of the most robust legal sports betting markets in the United States. It was one of the early states to legalize sports betting, doing so for retail locations in 2018. Online sports betting followed soon after in 2019 and since then, Pennsylvania has been one of the most active states.

Across its entire history, there has been more than $20 billion placed in bets in the legal online and retail Pennsylvania sports betting market. With plenty of in-person sports betting options alongside a ton of online and mobile betting options, Pennsylvania has a healthy level of competition among bookmakers.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island has a small sports betting market that is controlled by William Hill. William Hill is an old European bookmaker that operates the sole mobile betting sportsbook in the state. In addition, the two retail sportsbooks in Rhode Island are also run by William Hill. You can bet on all of the different sports leagues at these locations.

Since that is the only online sportsbook, there is not a ton of competition in Rhode Island. Sports bettors in Rhode Island should also know that William Hill has since been acquired by Caesars.

South Dakota

The sports betting launch in South Dakota came in 2020 when the state decided it would legalize sports betting and opened up a retail location. It would take a few months but in 2021 the first sports bet was accepted within state borders.

At the moment, the market is quite restrictive. There are no mobile betting options available in the state and retail sports betting is limited to casinos in Deadwood or tribal casinos. There has also not been too much support for the creation of a digital market, however, that could change in coming years. Many people close to the situation are predicting that there could be more moves made soon.

Tennessee

Tennessee is a very unique state when it comes to sports betting. There is a robust legal market in the state that includes multiple digital operators. However, there are no retail betting locations in the state. This means that you must use an electronic device to place sports bets in Tennessee.

The reason for this is because there are no physical casinos in Tennessee. Thus, when the legal sports betting market was created, there was no place for brick-and-mortar casinos to go. Another unique feature about the Tennessee market is that there is a state tax placed on the betting handle, meaning that sportsbooks need to pay tax no matter if they win or lose.

Virginia

Virginia has a healthy sports betting market that features more than 10 unique operators. There are lots of legal online options for fans that want to place bets inside the state. The state accepted its first sports bet in 2021 and has since continued to add operators as the market strengthed within the state.

There is also an option for gamblers to bet on sports at a physical sportsbook within the state as retail sports betting is legal. There are more brick-and-mortar sportsbooks expected to open over the coming months.

Washington

Washington does have legal sports betting but only at tribal casinos within the state. This means that there is no digital sports betting market and limited options to place bets in-person.

With a strong sports culture within the state, including professional teams like the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Kraken, Washington could eventually be home to quite a robust sports betting market. There are people that recognize this and have been trying to push forward for a larger market in the state.

It’s easy to imagine more than seven online sportsbooks eventually entering Washington. However, that does seem a far ways off as the state has been strict on restricting gambling activity to retail locations.

Washington DC

Washington DC has a legal sports betting market but with some large caveats. To begin, you cannot place any bets when located within a federal property. In addition, there is only one digital sportsbook that can be used across Washington DC and it’s run by the state lottery with no other competition. This means that the product is subpar in everything from the betting lines to the user experience.

There are some physical locations in the state but they’re located in sports arenas. These are run by big-name players like Caesars and BetMGM but you must be located within the stadium to use them.

West Virginia

West Virginia has had a fully functioning legal sports betting market for a few years now. Sports bettors can use their mobile phones or other electronic devices to place wagers at any of the few different operators in West Virginia including DraftKings and BetMGM among others.

The legal sports betting market in West Virginia launched in 2019 and has been active ever since. Sports wagering in the state is completely allowed and there are multiple retail sportsbooks in West Virginia for those that would prefer to visit a casino instead.

Wisconsin

There is no legal online sports betting market in Wisconsin but there are a few places where you can place bets in person. These are located at the physical casinos owned by the Oneida Nation in the state. In-person wagering is allowed at these locations.

However, with no digital sports betting industry, the market in Wisconsin is far from completely developed. At the moment, there hasn’t really been a big push to get legal online sports betting in the state but that is something to keep an eye on in the future.

Wyoming

Wyoming does have a legal online sports betting industry. The state went through the process of legalizing sports betting and started accepting online bets on September 1st, 2021. Legal sports betting has been allowed in the state ever since with mobile sports betting being accepted through multiple operators.

There is currently no legal sports betting at any in-person sportsbooks in Wyoming. This could change in the future as tribal casinos are fighting for the right to add sports betting to their offering.

States with sports betting coming soon

Kentucky

While Kentucky officially passed House Bill 551 to make sports betting legal in the state, the live market has not officially launched yet. The expected launch date for legal sports betting in the state is near the end of the year.

As per the writing of the law, regulated sports betting in Kentucky needs to be live by December 28th, 2023. The Kentucky legal market will feature both in-person and online sports betting.

The state is a bit unique in that it will set the legal age to bet on sports at 18 in the new sports betting bill. This is younger than 21 years old, the number that most other states have set for sports wagering.

Maine

Maine has passed the necessary bill to legalize sports betting within the state. However, people within the state are not quite able to place bets yet.

As of now, it’s expected that there will be at least four online sportsbooks offered in the legal Maine sports betting market. These are likely to be some of the bigger players that already have a national level presence such as DraftKings, Caesars, FanDuel, and others.

The four licenses for online sports betting will be awarded by the native groups of Maine. Each group will partner with one operator to offer online sports betting. This legal online betting market will likely launch sometime in late 2023 or early 2024.

Nebraska

Retail sports betting is coming to Nebraska as state lawmakers passed an important bill that will legalize sports betting in some form. Unfortunately, that does not seem to include a legal online market just yet. It’s been two years since that bill has passed yet Nebraska has struggled to get the infrastructure necessary in place.

The state legalizing sports betting is a step forward but the market still appears to be very restricted at this time. Still, this is an important step forward and could lead to more progress down the road to create a more robust offering.

Vermont

Vermont has passed a bill to legalize sports betting in the state. As per the writing of the bill, there will only be around 5-6 online sportsbooks in the state and it remains to be seen which operators will earn those licenses. They will need to apply for the few that are up for grabs.

While the bill legalizing sports betting has been passed, it will still take a while for the process to play out before official wagers can be accepted. As per the current timeline, the hope is that legal sports betting in the state will start sometime in early 2024.

States that have yet to legalize sports betting

Alabama

There has been an effort within the state of Alabama to get sports betting legalized. These efforts have included multiple bills that have been presented to the House. However, none of those bills have been able to make it over the finish line.

There is no state lottery in Alabama meaning that the state would need to find a different pathway to regulating sports bets. One potential solution is to connect operators with the three tribal casinos in the state.

The earliest that sports betting legislation could be approved in Alabama is 2024. If you’re in the state, keep an eye on the news as it does feel like only a matter of time before one of the sports betting bills makes it through.

Alaska

There has not been a large push in Alaska to legalize sports betting. As of now, it does not look like there will be any type of legal sports wagering market in the state anytime soon.

If you’re in Alaska, you’re likely going to have to wait a long time before sports betting is legal and possible within the state.

California

California represents a huge untapped sports betting market for operators. With a population of 39 million, almost 10 million more than any other state, there are a lot of potential sports bettors on the west coast. In addition, California has a big sports culture and is home to plenty of major sports franchises.

The sportsbook operators have been trying to penetrate this market but have been met with resistance. DraftKings and FanDuel teamed up to create a proposal in 2022 that didn’t make it far within the state.

A lot of the trouble has come in the form of a strong and powerful tribal population within the state. This group of people is not going to let sports betting launch without some favorable terms and they’ve lobbied hard against all potential bills thus far. However, they’ve not ruled out the possibility of a bill passing soon.

Expect there to be some renewed efforts at getting sports betting legislation passed in 2024 but as of now, it seems like a legal and live market is still a distant reality in California.

Florida

Florida is an interesting state in that there was a brief period where it was possible to make a legal sports bet. This was because Hard Rock was the first online sportsbook to accept online wagering in Florida, which it did for a brief period at the end of 2021.

However, Hard Rock was then banned from accepting bets after a ruling from a federal court that granted the power to regulate sports betting in Florida to the Seminole Tribe. This has left Florida sports betting in murky waters.

That decision to prevent Florida casinos from accepting bets is now being debated in the court of appeals. This means that it could be another 1-2 years before a final decision is reached, especially if the case continues to get escalated, potentially all the way up to the Supreme Court.

While there are a few potential pathways to legal sports betting in Florida, it seems likely that it will be at least 1-2 years, if not longer, before the market goes live in the state.

Georgia

Georgia has not had much luck with getting sports betting legislation approved within the state. There were two different bills presented in 2023 and although HB 237 gained a bit of steam, especially after certain sections were rewritten, neither could get approved in time.

While there will likely be more efforts to get a sports betting bill passed in Georgia in 2024, something is going to need to change to get the necessary support to get it approved.

The most promising bill that has ever been introduced in Georgia is the previously mentioned HB 237. Some of the guidelines proposed in that bill included 16 online sports betting licenses with a big portion of the tax generated funding education-related programs in the state.

Hawaii

There is no state lottery in Hawaii, or any major gambling operator, which makes the idea of creating a healthy and robust sports betting market a daunting one.

In 2022, there was a sports betting bill introduced in Hawaii. The content of the bill was very similar to the rules and regulations currently live in New York. However, the bill failed to gain much momentum.

As of now, it seems like it will be multiple years before Hawaii makes a serious move at sports betting legalization.

Idaho

Idaho is one of the quietest states on the sports betting front. There has not been much movement to legalize sports gambling and it does not look like that is going to change much in the near future.

The only type of gambling that is currently allowed inside of Idaho is horse racing. The state generally has a very negative stance on gambling and this means that despite the overturning of the federal ban, there may not be enough desire inside Idaho to enact a legal market.

Minnesota

In both 2022 and 2023, it seemed as if Minnesota was going to pass legislation to legalize sports betting in the state. However, in both cases, the bill fell just short of gaining the support that it needed in state legislation.

It’s gone as far as a bill actually being passed by the House in 2022. However, that bill was later rejected after significant amendments made by the Minnesota Senate.

Minnesota sports betting depends heavily on the support of the tribes within the state. They’re looking to gain a monopoly over any legal sports betting market in the state and have thus far opposed any bill that suggests any alternative.

It’s very possible that Minnesota manages to pass a sports betting bill in 2023, although they will need to come to a solution that works for all stakeholders.

Missouri

Just like in Minnesota, Missouri has had some close class when it comes to passing a sports betting bill over recent history. While the bill nearly got passed in 2022, it was in 2023 where many thought that Missouri would legalize sports betting. Despite many signs pointing towards a desire from lawmakers in the state to create a sports betting market, it just has not been able to get done.

The bill proposed in 2022 would have made room for more than 30 sports betting operators to open up shop in the state. This would mean plenty of competition inside of Missouri among the biggest brands.

Maybe 2024 is the year that Missouri finally manages to take that last step and pass a sports betting bill. If that does happen, it will be at least another year until gamblers can actually place bets in the state.

Oklahoma

While there was a period in 2020 when two different tribal groups made agreements that let them offer sports betting as part of their gambling operation, that has since been rescinded and sports betting remains illegal in Oklahoma.

However, at the moment Oklahoma is involved in other debates with the local tribal casinos. This has led to the issue of sports betting taking a backseat in the state as other more pressing, and financially significant, issues take priority.

It does not seem like tribal casinos in Oklahoma will be able to offer sports betting anytime soon. It looks to be at least a multi-year journey for sports betting to make any headway in Oklahoma.

South Carolina

There has been some support for legal sports betting in South Carolina. Legalization efforts have mostly followed two paths in the state.

The first has been a series of bills, the most recent one introduced in 2022. This bill had bipartisan support and would have allowed for a dozen operators in the state. It failed.

Other efforts in the state have surrounded the idea of changing the state’s constitution to make sports betting legal for residents. However, that also failed to make it through to the finish line.

One big hurdle that South Carolina will need to figure out if it wants to introduce sports betting is that of Governor Henry McMaster. He is opposed to sports betting and makes it difficult for any real change to happen in the state.

Texas

Texas is another huge state that has a strong sports culture. Stakeholders like DraftKings and FanDuel are drooling over the unlikely possibility that Texas decides to regulate sports betting.

The reason why that’s an unlikely possibility is that the state has a firm anti-gambling stance. The Texas state constitution outlaws gambling. For that to change would require drastic measures.

However, as legal markets continue to emerge around the country, the pressure increases for the creation of a Texas sports betting market. In 2023 those efforts failed but after a few more years of support, things could change.

Because Texas state legislature only meets every two years, the next potential date for getting any bills passed is 2025. This means that no matter what happens, it’s going to be a long road before people in the state can place their first sports bet.

Utah

As you can imagine, Utah is a state with a firm anti-gambling stance. There is no gambling entity of any kind within the state, including no state lottery. There has been no support for sports gambling inside the state.

If Utah does end up opening a legal sports betting market, that will be far down the road where something drastic has happened and caused a significant shift in the state. For now, sports betting is not going to be coming to Utah anytime soon.