“Is sports betting legal in my state?” gets a tidy yes or no on most sites, friend, and the tidy answer is often wrong. Legal can mean an app you use from your couch, or a counter inside one casino, or a law that’s been signed but hasn’t launched yet. This page sets out where sports betting is legal by state, sorting all 50 states and DC into those three situations. Each row links to the source behind it.
Last updated: 25 September 2026. Status, launch dates and minimum ages were checked against state regulators, lotteries and statutes. A † next to a state means at least one detail in that row rests on secondary sources only, usually the launch month, because the official page didn’t state it or couldn’t be reached. See how we built this.
The Short Answer
31 states plus DC allow online sports betting statewide. Another 8 allow it only in person, at a casino, racetrack or licensed venue. In 11 states there’s no legal sports betting at all. That’s 39 states and DC with some form of it. The minimum age is 21 almost everywhere. The exceptions are 18 in DC, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Washington and Wyoming. Kentucky moved from 18 to 21 in July 2026.
Sports Betting Legal by State: Online in 31 States + DC
In these states you can bet from a phone anywhere within the state’s borders, through a licensed app. Being physically inside the state is required everywhere; living there is not. Linked state names go to our state guide.
| State | Online since | Min. age | Who runs it | College limits | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona† | Sep 2021 | 21 | Tribal and pro-franchise licences (up to 10 + 10) | No in-game player or individual-action bets on college games | source |
| Arkansas† | Mar 2022 | 21 | Apps tied to licensed casinos; FanDuel and DraftKings added March 2026 | None found | source |
| Colorado | May 2020 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators via casino licensees | No prop bets on college events | source |
| Connecticut | Oct 2021 | 21 | Three operators: two tribes plus the CT Lottery | No bets on Connecticut college teams except in tournaments of 4+ teams | source |
| Delaware† | Jan 2024 | 21 | Lottery-run; BetRivers the only online platform | No bets on Delaware-based teams | source |
| District of Columbia† | May 2020 | 18 | Multiple licence classes; district-wide mobile for Class C operators | None found | source |
| Florida† | Nov 2023 | 21 | Tribal exclusive (Seminole / Hard Rock Bet) | No prop bets on college sports | source |
| Illinois† | Jun 2020 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators | No bets on Illinois college teams; no college player props | source |
| Indiana | Oct 2019 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators tied to casinos and racinos | No in-game college player props; pre-game props allowed | source |
| Iowa | Aug 2019 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators tied to casinos | No player props in games involving an Iowa college team | source |
| Kansas | Sep 2022 | 21 | Kansas Lottery with casino-partnered sportsbooks | None found | source |
| Kentucky† | Sep 2023 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators partnered with racetracks | Restricted props on Kentucky college athletes (HB 904) | source |
| Louisiana† | Jan 2022 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators tied to casinos and tracks | No props on individual college athletes | source |
| Maine | Nov 2023 | 21 | Tribal-exclusive mobile (DraftKings, Caesars) plus retail at Oxford Casino | No bets on Maine college teams | source |
| Maryland | Nov 2022 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators | No college player props | source |
| Massachusetts† | Mar 2023 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators | No bets on Massachusetts college teams except in tournaments; no college player props | source |
| Michigan† | Jan 2021 | 21 | Multiple commercial and tribal operators | None found | source |
| Missouri | Dec 2025 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators (casino- and team-tethered, two untethered) | No player props in games involving Missouri colleges (secondary) | source |
| Nevada† | Before 2012 (in-person ID required) | 21 | Multiple commercial operators (casino sportsbooks, each with its own app) | None found | source |
| New Hampshire† | Dec 2019 | 18 | Lottery-run, DraftKings exclusive | No bets on New Hampshire college teams or college events in the state, except multi-site tournaments | source |
| New Jersey | Aug 2018 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators tied to casino and racetrack licensees | No bets on New Jersey college teams or on college events held in New Jersey | source |
| New York | Jan 2022 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators (9 licensed mobile) | No bets on New York college teams anywhere | source |
| North Carolina | Mar 2024 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators plus tribal retail | None found | source |
| Ohio† | Jan 2023 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators (online, retail, lottery kiosks) | No player props on college athletes (since March 2024) | source |
| Oregon† | Oct 2019 | 21 | Lottery-run single app (DraftKings) plus tribal casino retail | No college betting on the state app; college bets only at tribal casinos | source |
| Pennsylvania | May 2019 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators tied to casino licensees | No player props on individual college athletes (secondary) | source |
| Rhode Island | Sep 2019 | 18 | Lottery-run single app (Sportsbook RI, run by IGT) plus retail at the two Bally’s casinos | No bets on Rhode Island college teams or college events held in the state, except collegiate tournaments; no player-stat bets in those games | source |
| Tennessee† | Nov 2020 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators, online-only, licensed by the Sports Wagering Council | No college player props; no in-game college team props | source |
| Vermont | Jan 2024 | 21 | Mobile-only, DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics | No bets on Vermont college teams except in tournaments | source |
| Virginia | Jan 2021 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators; retail at casinos | No bets on Virginia college teams; no props on any college sport | source |
| West Virginia† | Aug 2019 | 21 | Multiple commercial operators tied to licensed casinos | None found | source |
| Wyoming | Sep 2021 | 18 | Multiple commercial operators online; tribal retail at Wind River | None found | source |
In Person Only: 8 States
Legal, but not from your couch. In several of these an app exists, and it only works while you’re on the premises. That’s the detail that trips people up.
| State | Min. age | How it works | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi† | 21 | Mobile only on casino premises | source |
| Montana | 18 | The app works only inside a licensed Sports Bet Montana location (geofenced); no statewide mobile | source |
| Nebraska | 21 | In person at the racetrack sportsbook | source |
| New Mexico† | 21 | Tribal exclusive, in person at tribal casinos | source |
| North Dakota† | Varies by casino | Tribal exclusive, in person; mobile only within reservation boundaries | source |
| South Dakota | 21 | Deadwood casinos plus tribal casinos | source |
| Washington | 18 | Mobile only on tribal casino premises (geofenced) | source |
| Wisconsin† | Varies by casino | In person at tribal casinos (mobile only on tribal land). Statewide tribal mobile was signed into law in April 2026 but needs compact and federal approval before it can launch | source |
No Legal Sports Betting: 11 States
Every one of these had at least a debate recently, and most had a bill. None passed in 2026.
| State | Where it stands in 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | SB257 (constitutional amendment incl. sports betting) died in committee in March 2026 | source |
| Alaska | HB 145 (mobile betting) heard in committee Feb 2026, never advanced | source |
| California | No sports betting measure on the November 2026 ballot | source |
| Georgia | HR 450 lost its House vote on 6 Mar 2026; nothing on the November ballot | source |
| Hawaii† | HB 2570 passed a House committee Feb 2026 but did not become law | source |
| Idaho† | The state constitution bans gambling. Changing it needs a two-thirds vote in both chambers and a statewide vote | source |
| Minnesota | SF 4139 (tribal mobile) stalled after a 22-44 Senate vote on 23 Mar 2026 | source |
| Oklahoma | HB 1047 failed 21-27 in the Senate on 22 Apr 2026 | source |
| South Carolina | S.444 and H.3625 stalled in committee | source |
| Texas | No 2026 session; 2025 amendments died in committee; next chance 2027 | source |
| Utah | The state constitution bans games of chance | source |
What Changed in 2026
- Kentucky raised the betting age to 21. HB 904 became law when lawmakers overrode the governor’s veto on 14 April and took effect on 15 July. It also restricts props on Kentucky college athletes.
- Colorado banned credit-card deposits. SB26-131, in force since 12 August, also caps how many deposits you can make per day.
- Wisconsin legalized statewide tribal mobile betting in April, but it can’t launch until the tribal compacts are amended and approved federally. In-person betting at tribal casinos has run since 2021.
- Arkansas got FanDuel and DraftKings on 20 March, after years with only casino-branded apps.
- Georgia, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Alabama and South Carolina all had bills fail or stall. South Dakota’s House declined to put mobile betting on the November ballot.
- College props are the live fight. New York’s regulator began reviewing player props in February. Indiana declined an NCAA request for a full college player-prop ban on 24 September.
- Missouri is the newest market, live since 1 December 2025. Rhode Island has picked a second app, which can’t launch before 26 November 2026.
Three Details the Maps Get Wrong
Montana has an app, and it isn’t online betting
Sports Bet Montana has a website and an app, so many maps colour Montana as “online”. But state law limits digital wagers to the physical premises of a licensed location. You can open an account and build a slip at home. You can only place the bet inside one of the bars, taverns or casinos that carry it. Mississippi and Washington work the same way with casino premises.
Nevada still wants to see you once
Nevada has had mobile betting longer than anyone, and it’s the one state where you still have to show photo ID in person before a mobile sports account can bet. Nevada’s own regulation excludes sports wagering accounts from remote identity checks. After that, you can bet anywhere in the state.
“Legal” and “live” are different words
Wisconsin is the current example: statewide mobile is legal and not available. A signed law is the start of the process, not the end. Licensing, compacts and approvals come after, and they can take a year or more.
College Betting Is Where the Rules Differ Most
Pro sports are available almost everywhere betting is legal. College sports are not. The pattern across the table:
- No bets on in-state college teams is the most common rule (Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and others), usually with an exception for tournament games.
- No player props on college athletes has spread fast: Ohio, Maryland, Louisiana and Colorado (all college props) among them, and it’s the subject of the 2026 fights in New York and Indiana.
- Oregon’s state app takes no college bets at all. College betting there is only available at tribal casino sportsbooks.
If a college market is missing from your app, this is almost always why. It’s the law in your state, not a glitch.
Where Offshore Sportsbooks Fit
Every book in these tables is licensed by the state. Offshore books like the ones we review are licensed by none of them. That matters most in the 32 jurisdictions with a legal app: there you have a regulated option with a regulator to complain to, and an offshore book gives you neither. It’s also why offshore books increasingly block regulated states. Bovada, for one, turns away bettors from more than a dozen of them.
In the 19 states without online betting, the choice is between the in-person option, if there is one, and an offshore site with the protections and risks we describe in offshore vs regulated sportsbooks. If you do go offshore, read how the books actually pay before you deposit.
How We Built This
Every row was checked against the state’s own sources: gaming commissions, lotteries, statutes and bill records, opened on 25 September 2026. Where a state’s page didn’t state a launch date or age, or blocked our check, we used reputable secondary trackers and marked the row with a †. We did not fill any gap with a guess. Two ages we couldn’t pin down at all: North Dakota (sources say 19 or 21, depending on the casino) and Wisconsin’s tribal sportsbooks, so the table says it varies.
Laws here move every legislative session. If you’re about to deposit, check your state regulator’s site. It’s linked in your row.
The Monkey’s Take
The honest version of the map has three colours, not two. Thirty-two jurisdictions let you bet from your phone, eight make you go somewhere, and eleven don’t allow it at all. If you’re in the first group, the licensed apps are the safer place to bet, because someone other than the operator is watching. If you’re not, know exactly what you’re trading away before you go offshore.
Legal is a place, not a phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many states have legal sports betting?
As of September 2026, 39 states plus DC allow sports betting in some form. 31 states plus DC allow online betting statewide, and 8 more allow it only in person: Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin.
Which states do not allow sports betting?
Eleven: Alabama, Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah. Several had bills in 2026, including Georgia, Oklahoma and Minnesota, and none passed.
What is the legal age for sports betting?
21 in almost every state. It is 18 in DC, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Washington and Wyoming. Kentucky raised its age from 18 to 21 in July 2026.
Can I bet online in Montana?
Not statewide. The Sports Bet Montana app lets you open an account and build a bet anywhere, but state law only lets you place the wager inside a licensed location such as a bar, tavern or casino.
Do I have to live in a state to bet there?
No. Licensed apps check that you are physically inside the state when you bet, not where you live. Nevada is the exception on sign-up: you must show photo ID in person before a mobile sports account can place bets.
Why can't I bet on my state's college team?
Many states ban bets on in-state college teams, usually with an exception for tournament games, and a growing number ban player props on college athletes. Oregon's state app takes no college bets at all. A missing college market is usually the law in your state, not an app problem.
21+ in most states, 18+ where noted · Play responsibly. Laws change: confirm with your state regulator. Problem gambling? In the US call or text 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738) or text 800GAM; in Canada, ConnexOntario 1-866-531-2600.
For online casinos, which are legal in far fewer states, see where online casino is legal in North America. For the federal picture and the grey areas, see is online gambling legal in the USA. Every sportsbook we review is on the sports betting hub.