As of just a few years ago, Las Vegas was pretty much the only place in the U.S. where people could place legal wagers on sporting events. Sports bettors had to make their way all the way out to Sin City to put down bets on NFL games, NBA games, MLB games, and more.
But that all changed once different states throughout the country started to legalize sports betting. Today, there are more than a few states that allow people to legally participate in wagering on sports.
Do you live in one of the legal online sports betting states where it’s perfectly OK to bet on sports? You should find out today before you begin trying to put down bets on sporting events.
Here is everything you need to know about which states do and don’t allow sports betting.
States Where Sports Betting Is Legalized
As we alluded to a few moments ago, there weren’t any states that offered legalized sport betting several years ago. But these days, almost two dozen states have now come around to allowing retail sports betting and mobile sports betting to some degree.
If you live in one of these legal online sports betting states, you’re more than welcome to place bets whenever you would like. The states that have legalized sports betting are:
- Delaware
- New Jersey
- New York
- West Virginia
- Indiana
- New Mexico
- Illinois
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Arkansas
- Mississippi
- Tennessee
- Iowa
- Oregon
- New Hampshire
- Michigan
- Montana
- Colorado
- Virginia
- North Carolina
Washington, D.C. has also legalized sports betting. You’re going to be in luck if you live in one of these places and wish to place a sports bet at some point in the near future.
States Where Sports Betting Will Be Legalized Soon
If you don’t live in any of the states that we just mentioned, you might be wondering when your state is going to get with the program and start allowing sports betting. You’ll be happy to know that there are a bunch of states that have recently passed bills that will permit sports betting.
These states include:
- Washington
- Arizona
- Maryland
- Louisiana
- Wyoming
- South Dakota
- Nebraska
- Florida
Each of these states is going to start offering people the opportunity to bet on sports soon. It’s all just a matter of when it’ll happen. You should stay tuned if you live in one of these states and enjoy fantasy sports until your time comes.
States Where Sports Betting May Be Legalized Soon
While all of the states that we just talked about are well on their way to allowing sports betting, there are some states that are stuck in a state of limbo right now. They’ve all introduced sports betting bills—but they haven’t yet passed them. This means that you won’t be able to bet on sports in these states just yet.
Here are the states that we’re referring to:
- Oklahoma
- Maine
- South Carolina
- Connecticut
- Kentucky
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Hawaii
- Kansas
- Massachusetts
- California
- Vermont
- Ohio
- Texas
- Georgia
- Alabama
- Alaska
- North Dakota
There is a possibility that some of these states might not legalize sports betting anytime soon. But if recent history has taught us anything, it’s that most states that introduce sports betting bills end up passing them eventually.
Keep your eyes peeled for news on legalized sports betting if you live in one of these states.
States Where Sports Betting Is Not Legalized
As you’ve seen so far, almost every state in the country has at least considered legalizing sports betting at this point. Every state except for three outcasts. They are:
- Idaho
- Wisconsin
- Utah
Of those three, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Idaho and Wisconsin legalize sports betting at some point. But it would be shocking to see Utah do it.
There are very strict laws in place that forbid gambling of any kind in Utah. There is next to no chance of sports betting catching on in the state, either now or at any time in the future.
How to Place Legal Sports Bets in Your State
If you live in one of the many legal online sports betting states, you should celebrate the fact that you’re able to bet on sports legally. But you should also be careful about where you place bets on sports when you do it.
Just because sports betting is legal in these states doesn’t mean you can place bets with your neighborhood bookie without a care in the world. You’re going to need to make sure that you’re putting in sports bets through a licensed online casino and sportsbook.
Search for the ones operating in your state and be sure you make bets with one that you know you can trust.
Increasing Your Chances of Winning Sports Bets
It’s great that most people are now able to place bets on sports. But they’re not going to be happy about being able to do it if they’re not winning any money.
If you want to give yourself every chance to win sports bets once you begin placing them, you should do your homework on each and every game that you bet on. You should also seek sports bet expert picks that will give you a decided advantage over the house.
You should be able to walk away a winner more often than not when you have the pros working on your side.
Do You Live in One of the Legal Online Sports Betting States?
If you live in one of the many legal online sports betting states where gambling on sports is now OK to do, you should take full advantage of it. You can do this by finding a sportsbook that you trust, making a deposit, and putting down some wagers.
It won’t take you too long to see what the hype surrounding sports betting is all about. You’ll be amazed by how much fun you’re able to have while betting on the sports that you’re already watching all the time.
Check out the other informative articles on our blog to read more about sports betting.
