Is Gambling Legal in Vermont? Gambling Laws in 2026

What gambling is legal in Vermont?

The permitted routes have different limits. This overview separates current operation from proposals and unresolved products.

For the wider state comparison, see our US gambling laws guide.

Are casinos legal in Vermont?

Vermont does not have a general licensed commercial casino market. Its ordinary gambling prohibitions cover gaming houses, gambling machines and wagering, subject to specific exceptions.^[1]

Limited nonprofit casino events are one exception. A qualifying charity can hold an event under the statutory conditions, but that does not permit a permanent commercial casino or unrestricted slot machines.^[10]

The 2026 casino bill, S.318, remains a proposal in its official status record, with no act information. Its proposed private-card-game language is not an existing home-poker exemption.^[15]

State recognition of a Native American tribe does not itself authorize otherwise prohibited gambling. Vermont's recognition statute expressly preserves that limit; recognition alone is not proof of a tribal casino licence.^[16]

Is online gambling legal in Vermont?

Some online gambling is legal in Vermont. Authorized mobile sports betting and qualifying fantasy contests have specific frameworks; those permissions do not extend to online casino games or poker.^[2][7][4]

Lottery subscriptions, remote horse accounts and sweepstakes models require their own answers below. An app's availability does not settle its legal status.

Is sports betting legal in Vermont?

Yes, mobile sports betting is legal and operating in Vermont. The state's August 2026 report records actual wagering. DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics were selected for the January 11, 2024 launch; that announcement is not a current exclusive operator list.^[2][17][5]

You must be at least 21, eligible and physically in Vermont when wagering. Visitors can qualify, but living in Vermont does not authorize betting from another state. Credit-card account funding is prohibited.^[2]

Final procedures approved May 13 took effect October 1, 2026. Their account rules provide electronic identity and age verification routes, photo checks and a Department-approved risk-based alternative. Vermont does not impose a general casino-counter registration step for this mobile system.^[18][19]

College wagering is restricted. Vermont-team events have a tournament exception, while individual NCAA player propositions are prohibited. The catalog and statute have differing location language, so do not assume every college matchup played in Vermont qualifies.^[2][20]

Use the official sports hub and current approved-event catalog to check the particular event and wager.^[20][21]

How old do you have to be to gamble in Vermont?

There is no single gambling age covering every Vermont activity.

The charity rule concerns running the game. It allows minors to perform unrelated services. Separately, Lottery law permits tickets as gifts to minors, subject to its other restrictions; purchase age and receiving a gift are different questions.^[10][3]

Can you buy Vermont Lottery tickets online?

A live direct online ticket-purchase service is not established by the Lottery's published FAQ. It says subscriptions are being developed but gives no availability date. The confirmed purchase route is an authorized retailer.^[6][22]

Purchasers must be 18 or older. Vermont law separately permits Lottery tickets as gifts to minors, subject to other statutory restrictions.^[3][6]

The FAQ contains older information elsewhere, so its subscription statement should not be treated as a permanent legal ban on internet sales. Older subscription provisions likewise do not prove that a service has launched. Check directly before relying on a courier or an app feature as ticket-purchase permission.^[22]

H.133's proposed repeal of Lottery and sports authority has no act information in its official record; it is not evidence that these operating channels have closed.^[23]

Is horse betting legal in Vermont?

Do not rely on Vermont's former licensed-racing rules. The old horse-racing chapter, sections 601-642, is repealed. Current law prohibits conducting or simulcasting pari-mutuel horse or dog racing for public exhibition.^[8][9]

The sports procedures also exclude pari-mutuel race wagers. Although the sports statute mentions horse racing, the approved catalog withholds general approval for animal competitions and allows specific approval requests. A statutory definition is not an approved betting menu.^[2][19][20]

Standalone online advance deposit wagering, or ADW, needs a separate permission check. The reviewed primary sources do not establish a current Vermont authorization or operating licence for that channel. This is not a categorical ruling on every remote account.^[9]

Ask Sports Wagering and Contract Compliance about the particular product rather than relying on a national operator's signup form.^[24]

Are home poker games and office pools legal?

A private home or a host taking no rake does not establish a general Vermont poker exemption. The current gambling chapter does not provide that broad permission.^[1]

Pools have a separate, narrow exception. All participant money must go to winning participants, the specified qualifying nonprofit purpose, or both. An office pool must meet that condition; the exception does not permit an organizer to retain a cut.^[1]

Do not treat the pool provision as permission for every private card game. Proposed private-game wording in S.318 is not current law. Our online poker laws guide explains the separate regulated online channel.^[15]

Charity games, casino nights and raffles

Vermont permits conditional nonprofit raffles, lotteries and games of chance for specified charitable, religious, educational or civic purposes. Qualification includes eligible organizational status, qualifying Vermont activity during the preceding year and annual certification. Calling an event a fundraiser is insufficient.^[10][11]

Limited casino events fall within this exception. Organizers must consider restrictions on event frequency, location, prizes, compensation, records and use of proceeds. These are selected conditions, not a complete operating checklist; the full nonprofit gaming law controls the particular event.^[10]

Remote bingo needs special care. The statute prohibits communicating bingo numbers electronically or by satellite to participants at another location. A social-media broadcast is not automatically authorized because the organizer qualifies as a charity.^[10]

People organizing or executing a game must have reached majority age. Minors may perform services unrelated to executing it. That rule does not create a universal 18-plus playing age for every charitable game.^[10]

Organized political parties have a separate raffle exception for proceeds supporting undertakings consistent with party purposes. Before promoting a raffle, identify the applicable exception and its conditions, rather than assuming every community group qualifies under the nonprofit route.^[25]

Are daily fantasy sports legal in Vermont?

Yes, qualifying fantasy sports contests are permitted under Vermont's statutory framework. Players must be 18 or older, and operators must register annually with the Department and meet audit and consumer-protection requirements.^[7][4]

Selected format conditions include uniform rules, advance-disclosed prize values and skill in creating and managing a fantasy team. Real-world statistics generate fantasy points, which determine the outcome. Outcomes cannot be determined by the score, spread or performance of one or more teams, or an individual athlete's performance in one real-world event.^[7]

Those are selected requirements from the full statutory definition, not approval of every pick-em format. Operators cannot offer contests based on college, high-school or youth participants, or extend player credit.^[7][4]

A familiar brand or accessible app does not establish registration or permission for each contest. Use the Department's sports and fantasy hub and contact route to check the operator and format.^[21][24]

Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Vermont?

Vermont has a genuine sweepstakes exception, but it does not automatically approve every sweepstakes casino. Section 2143b permits chance contests when entry does not require participants to venture money or another valuable thing.^[12]

Mailing an entry is excluded from that stake concept. The provision also preserves contests not based on chance.^[12]

A dual-currency site must be assessed against the actual conditions. A free-entry statement or redeemable coin label is not proof that every purchase and redemption arrangement qualifies. See our sweepstakes casino legality guide for the wider distinction between promotional entry and casino wagering.^[12]

Are prediction markets legal in Vermont?

Sports prediction contracts remain disputed; a platform's availability is not blanket Vermont approval. On April 30, 2026, Vermont's Attorney General joined a CFTC comment asserting state authority over sports-related event contracts.^[13]

That is an official legal position and rulemaking request, not a Vermont injunction or final court judgment. H.913 proposed restrictions on prediction-market securities, but its official status record shows committee activity and no act information.^[13][14]

Do not treat the proposal's prohibition or fee as enacted. Nor does a federal exchange label establish a Vermont sportsbook licence. Check the specific product's current legal position before relying on access to Kalshi, Polymarket or another platform.^[13][14]

How to check Vermont gambling permission

Use the authority for the actual product. State mobile sports exclusion offers one, three, five years or lifetime; the published instructions direct fantasy users separately to individual operators.^[26]