Key takeaways

• Who licenses: Each state licenses its own sportsbooks. There's no federal sportsbook license, so a book legal in New Jersey has no standing in a state that hasn't licensed it.

• Where to check: The state's gaming regulator, lottery or racing commission publishes the list of authorized books. Most of the 31 states with online betting, and D.C., post one online.

• Location: A licensed app checks where your phone is before every bet. A book that takes bets from anywhere isn't licensed in your state.

• No-sportsbook states: 11 states license no sportsbook at all, so any sportsbook taking bets from inside them is unlicensed.

• Prediction markets: These are regulated by the CFTC, not by states, and the CFTC's list of designated contract markets is where to confirm one.

How to check a sportsbook's license

Checking takes a few minutes. Find the agency that regulates sports betting in the state you're standing in, open its list of licensed or authorized operators, and look for the app by name. Then compare the company named in the app's terms with the company on the list, because the regulator often licenses a casino or tribe and the app runs under that license.

1. Confirm your state allows online betting. 31 states and D.C. allow mobile sportsbooks; eight more allow betting only in person, and 11 allow neither. The state guides index shows each state's status.

2. Find the regulator. In most states it's a gaming commission or control board. In New Hampshire, Oregon, Delaware, Rhode Island and Montana, the state lottery runs the sportsbook itself.

3. Open the licensee list and find the app's brand name. Pennsylvania's Gaming Control Board says on its list: "Before you bet, use the links below to verify that a site is PGCB regulated."

4. Read the app's terms or footer. A licensed book names the states it serves and usually the company or casino that holds the license. If it names no US state at all, stop there.

Regulator lists for every state with online betting

The table covers the 31 states and D.C. where mobile sportsbooks are legal. Where a regulator publishes a list of authorized online operators, the link goes straight to it. Lists change when books launch or leave, so the regulator's page is the record to trust over any third-party roundup, including this one.

A few aren't plain lists. Kentucky's is a search tool and West Virginia's is a PDF. Colorado's page links out to a spreadsheet. Maryland's page names its 12 licensed online sportsbooks and says "No other forms of real-money online/mobile gaming or wagering are operating legally in Maryland."

What a licensed app does

Every licensed sportsbook confirms your location before it accepts a bet, which is why the app asks for location permission. The rule follows where your phone is, not where you live, so a New York resident visiting New Jersey can bet on a New Jersey-licensed app and gets blocked again on the way home.

Licensed books also check your identity and age at sign-up. The minimum is 21 in most states. Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Wyoming and D.C. allow 18 by law, though an operator can still set 21. Withdrawals go back only to an account in your name, which is one more reason the app asks for ID up front.

The regulator's name shows up in the app as well. Pennsylvania tells bettors to look for the Board's logo on licensed sites, and licensed apps carry a problem-gambling helpline.

Signs a sportsbook isn't licensed in your state

An offshore book may let you bet with location services off or from a state where sports betting is illegal. Some push crypto deposits, or run on a domain ending in .eu or .ag with no US company behind it. Its license, if it mentions one, comes from Curaçao, Antigua or Panama, none of which authorizes a book to take bets in any US state.

Some states also publish the cease-and-desist letters they send. Maryland's letters go to operators it believes are taking bets illegally, and its list includes offshore books such as BetUS, Bookmaker.eu, Everygame and BetNow.eu, along with sweepstakes sites. Maryland notes the list "is not a comprehensive list of illegal online gaming platforms." If a book isn't on the licensed list, treat it as unlicensed whether or not a letter has gone out.

A state regulator can order a licensed book to pay a disputed bet or release a frozen balance, and it has no such power over an offshore book.

States where no sportsbook is licensed

Alabama, Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah license no sportsbook, online or in person, so there's no list to check: any book taking sports bets there is unlicensed. The guide to states without legal sports betting covers what residents can still use.

Eight more states allow betting only in person or on casino property. Nebraska's commission says sports wagers "must be placed in person" at a licensed racetrack casino and that "online and mobile sports wagering are not currently authorized in Nebraska." Montana's lottery runs Sports Bet Montana, and its app works only inside a licensed bar, tavern or casino. Mississippi allows mobile bets only on a casino's premises, and South Dakota allows betting at Deadwood casinos and tribal casinos. New Mexico, North Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin have tribal sportsbooks only, and Washington's and Wisconsin's tribal apps work only on casino grounds. A 2026 Wisconsin law allows statewide tribal apps, though none had launched by late October.

How to check a prediction market

Prediction markets aren't licensed by states. They list sports event contracts under federal commodities law, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission designates the markets that can offer them. To confirm one, find the operating company in the app's terms and look it up in the CFTC's list of designated contract markets. Novig, for example, runs as Ludlow Exchange, LLC, which the list shows as designated on June 16, 2026.

A federal designation doesn't settle the state question. Several states, Maryland among them, have sent cease-and-desist letters to prediction markets over sports contracts, and the federal appeals courts have split on whether state gambling law applies. The crackdowns tracker lists every state action. Each platform also publishes its own list of eligible states and its minimum age, which can differ from the sportsbook age where you are.

FAQ

How do I know if a sportsbook is legal in my state?

Look it up on your state regulator's list of licensed or authorized operators. If the state has no list, the state guide on this site names the licensed apps. A book that isn't on the regulator's list isn't licensed, however professional its site looks.

How can I sports bet in Montana?

In person, or on the Sports Bet Montana app while you're inside a licensed location. The Montana Lottery runs the state's only legal sportsbook, and state law limits mobile bets to the premises of an approved bar, tavern or casino. The minimum age is 18.

Is an offshore sportsbook with a Curaçao license legal in the US?

No. Only the state where you're located can license a book to take your bet. A license from Curaçao or Antigua doesn't count in any state, and books holding one turn up on state cease-and-desist lists.

Is DraftKings licensed in every state?

No. DraftKings, like every sportsbook, is licensed state by state and blocks bets from states where it isn't. Check the regulator's list for the state you're in.

Who regulates prediction markets?

The CFTC designates the contract markets, and each platform sets the states it serves. States don't license them, and several are contesting their sports contracts in court.

You must be 21 or older to bet in most states. Gamble responsibly. If gambling stops being fun, call or text the national helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET (ncpgambling.org).