Where Is Sports Betting Legal in the US?

Legal sports betting states: map and lookup

This map covers regulated sportsbooks, including authorized tribal sportsbooks. It does not count horse-racing pools, fantasy contests, sweepstakes games or prediction-market event contracts as state-licensed sports betting. Those products require separate checks.

Green means a statewide or district-wide online sportsbook market is available, subject to local exclusions. Amber means betting is limited to approved venues or tribal locations. Red means there is no state-authorized sportsbook market. The state result separates online and in-person access and identifies important exceptions. Louisiana and DC have geographic exclusions within their online markets.^[3][4]

The eleven states without a state-authorized sportsbook market are Alabama, Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah. This classification concerns sportsbooks. It is not a statement that every other form of gambling is prohibited in those states.^[1]

For a closer look at one of these states, see whether sports betting is legal in Texas, including the difference between sportsbooks, fantasy contests and prediction markets.

Where is online sports betting legal?

For online sports betting, the key question is whether the state permits a licensed app to accept wagers from your location. A venue's permission to take bets does not automatically extend to the rest of the state.

The table describes access, not whether every operator serves every permitted location. Check the state's official information and the particular sportsbook before relying on an app.^[5][6][7][8]

Venue-only states and local restrictions

The eight states in the map's approved-location category are Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin. Their legal systems differ, so the common color should not be read as a common license or set of rules.^[1]

In Louisiana, sports wagering is permitted in 55 parishes. Caldwell, Catahoula, Franklin, Jackson, LaSalle, Sabine, Union, West Carroll and Winn did not authorize it. In DC, federal enclaves and operator-specific exclusion areas mean a generally available app can still be blocked at a particular address.^[3][4]

Wisconsin enacted a path to broader mobile betting in April 2026. The official material reviewed for this guide does not establish a live statewide launch. Its current map classification therefore remains tied to participating tribal locations. A new law, a completed compact process and an operating service are different milestones.^[9][10]

Age, location and visitor rules

Before placing a wager, check three things together: the location where the bet will be made, your eligibility and the authorization for the operator and bet. Passing one check does not replace the others.

How old do you have to be?

There is no single minimum age covering every US sportsbook. New Hampshire's official mobile sportsbook guidance requires 18 or older. Massachusetts requires 21. Kentucky also now requires 21, following a change effective July 15, 2026; an older guide saying 18 should not be relied on.^[5][11][12]

Check the current rules for the market and the operator. The map is an availability guide, not a promise that a particular customer can open an account. Exclusion rules and restrictions relating to participation in sports can also affect eligibility; the operator's current terms and regulator guidance are the appropriate checks.

Do you have to live in the state?

Residence and physical presence are different. A visitor may be eligible: Vermont's regulator expressly includes visitors in its explanation of mobile sports wagering. That does not remove age, identity, account or location requirements, or guarantee that every visitor will satisfy an operator's account checks.^[13]

Conversely, living in a state with legal sports betting does not let you place wagers there while physically somewhere else. New Hampshire and Massachusetts both require the bettor to be within the relevant jurisdiction when making a mobile wager.^[5][11]

Follow the operator's location-verification instructions. Do not use a VPN or another tool to misrepresent where you are. If a location check fails, resolve it with the licensed operator rather than treating an accessible website as proof that a wager is allowed.

Nevada adds a practical account-opening restriction: sportsbook account wagering requires an in-person identity check before you can bet. Creating an account remotely is not the same as completing that check.^[14]

How to check a legal sportsbook

Start with the authority for the state or tribal location where you intend to bet. The state finder links to official operator information, sports-wagering guidance or the relevant authority. The link label identifies which kind of check is available.

1. Find the correct official list or guidance. For example, the Massachusetts sports wagering licensee directory distinguishes retail and online/mobile licensees. It says only listed operators may take sports bets under the Commonwealth's licensing system.
2. Check the product and access channel. A casino license is not, by itself, confirmation of permission to offer mobile sports betting. Match the sportsbook or venue to the applicable listing and permitted location.
3. Match the operator details. Compare the brand, operating entity and website or app information supplied by the authority. A familiar logo or an app-store listing is not a substitute for that check.
4. Resolve discrepancies before depositing. If the details do not match, contact the regulator or relevant tribal or lottery authority. Use its official contact or complaint route rather than contact details supplied only by the disputed website.

These are practical verification steps. Not every jurisdiction uses the same register or license categories. In a tribal market, the relevant compact, tribal authority and participating venue may be the necessary sources.^[15]

If betting is becoming difficult to control, use the regulator's help and self-exclusion options. For example, Massachusetts provides a voluntary self-exclusion program and problem gambling resources. Check the program's scope and duration before enrolling. Do not assume an exclusion in one jurisdiction automatically covers every operator or state.

Which sports and bets are permitted?

Legal sportsbook access does not mean every event or betting market is permitted. College sports are a useful example: restrictions can apply to a particular team, to an individual athlete's performance, or to a specific type of wager.

Massachusetts restricts wagering on its in-state college teams but allows a qualifying tournament exception. Its regulator separately prohibits wagers whose outcome depends on an individual collegiate athlete's performance. A permitted bet on a college game therefore does not establish permission for a player-performance bet.^[16]

Before relying on a college betting market, check:

• Whether the team is subject to an in-state team restriction.
• Whether any tournament exception applies to that wager.
• Whether the bet depends on an individual college athlete's performance.

This is a Massachusetts example, not a national list of permitted bets. Use the rules for the jurisdiction where you are betting. An operator may also offer fewer markets than the law permits; a missing wager is not necessarily evidence of a statutory ban.

Why do US sports betting laws differ?

The Supreme Court's 2018 decision in Murphy v. NCAA removed PASPA's restriction on states authorizing sports betting. It did not create a nationwide sportsbook license or make sports betting legal in every state. The Court held that the federal law's command to state legislatures violated the constitutional rule against federal commandeering of state government.^[17]

States subsequently made different choices about whether and how to authorize sportsbooks. Tribal gaming arrangements add another layer, which is why an operating tribal sportsbook can exist without a general statewide commercial market. A sports-betting rule also does not settle the legality of online slots, poker or other gambling products. See our online poker legality guide for state availability and shared player pools.

Our US gambling laws guide explains the federal, state and tribal framework. For real-money slots and casino table games, use the separate legal online gambling and casino states guide.

New laws and other betting products

For any proposed expansion, distinguish a bill being introduced from enactment, licensing or compact approval, and actual launch. An expected launch date should not change an availability map until the service is authorized and operating.

Sports-related prediction markets need a separate analysis. The CFTC describes prediction-market products as event contracts, often based on yes/no outcomes. This guide excludes those contracts from its state sportsbook count; their availability does not establish that a state has licensed online sportsbooks. Nor does our red category decide the legality of every event contract offered there.^[18]

Fantasy contests and sweepstakes games also sit outside this inventory. Our sweepstakes casino legality guide addresses the latter model; it should not be used as authorization for a conventional sportsbook.

Questions about legal sports betting states

How many states allow online sports betting?

The dataset used here identifies 31 states plus Washington, DC with statewide or district-wide online sportsbook markets. Louisiana's parish exclusions and DC's restricted areas still apply. On-site apps in venue-only states are excluded from that count.^[1]

Does a legal sportsbook mean online casinos are legal too?

No. Sports wagering and online casino games have separate authorization requirements. Check our online casino state guide for slots and table games rather than using a sportsbook's availability as a shortcut.

Why can I download an app in a state without legal sportsbooks?

Downloading an app is different from placing an authorized wager. Check the operator's permitted jurisdictions, the relevant official listing and your physical location. A website that accepts a registration or advertises locally has not thereby demonstrated state sportsbook authorization.

How we classify the states

The map uses the American Gaming Association's 2026 state table as its national baseline, with a September aggregate cross-check and official checks for important access restrictions and changes. Each state result links to an official authority or relevant operator source. Sources were checked on 29 September 2026.^[1][2]

This is not an independent review of every provision of all 51 jurisdictions' laws. The categories describe regulated sportsbook availability, not a personalized eligibility decision. Source dates are recorded below, and official action links remain beside each state result so you can check the current position.