States That Have Legalized Online Sports Betting

Back in May 2018, the federal ban on sports betting was lifted by the Supreme Court. In other words, states would start to have a say on whether they wished to legalize sports betting or make it a banned activity for citizens. Interestingly, since then around 24 states have allowed sports betting but many have certain regulations that it is important to learn about.

sports betting

What is Sports Betting?

First of all, it is important to understand what exactly sports betting is. Essentially, this is a type of gambling that involves a player placing a wager. This is a money bet and they are betting on a sports event.

There are different ways a player can enjoy sports betting. For instance, there are bets for the winner in a game, as well as who the goal scorer is and the overall result in the game. Sports betting extends to basketball, football, soccer and even horse racing. There are odds involved in sports betting and this is going to determine how much you can win if you are correct with your prediction.

For a long time, some countries, including the United States, did not like players betting on sports. However, opinions have started to change and this is why states are now able to decide whether they see sports betting as a legitimate form of betting. This was after the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was found to be unconstitutional.

What States have Legalized Sports Betting?

There are currently a number of states that allow citizens to make bets and class sports betting as legal. We are going to take a look at a few examples. Let’s start with Illinois. 2020 was the year that betting was launched in this state, with it becoming legal from March 2020 and online betting beginning in June 2020. Indiana has allowed sports betting since September 2019 and this has created millions in revenue for the state. Full mobile betting is allowed.

It is interesting to note that some states are more open with their sports betting than others. For example, some states restrict sports betting to in-person experiences only. This is the case in New Mexico where sportsbooks are allowed in tribal casinos. New York also operates this way with a few physical sportsbook locations. If you plan to enjoy sports betting, it is always important that you educate yourself on what your state allows. Every state has the power to operate differently and the rules will vary.

There are also a number of states that are likely to make sports betting legal in 2021. For example, Louisiana, South Dakota and Maryland are awaiting action by legislature and could allow sports betting sooner rather than later. Other states that are possible to allow sports betting in the near future include Arizona, Connecticut and Florida. But further action will be necessary to see if this works out. It will be interesting to see what the future holds.