How we track sports betting laws
Each state page answers one question first: can you legally bet on sports there, and how? This page explains how that answer is set.
How a status is assigned
Every state gets one of six statuses.
Online and retail: licensed mobile apps and in-person sportsbooks both operate.
Online only: betting happens through licensed apps, with no retail sportsbooks.
Retail only: you can bet in person at licensed venues, but there’s no statewide app.
Not legal: no licensed sportsbooks operate.
Legislation pending: a bill or ballot measure is moving, but betting hasn’t launched.
Not yet verified: we haven’t confirmed the state’s current status.
A status describes what was operating on the day the page was last verified. A law that has passed but hasn’t launched changes the page’s history section, not its status.
Sources
We work from primary sources: the state regulator’s website and licensee lists, the text of the statute or bill, and court records for rulings and pending cases. State pages link to the source behind each claim.
What Last verified means
The date at the top of a state page is the last day we checked its status, minimum age, regulator and licensed apps against those sources. It is not the date the law changed.
Corrections
When we find an error, we correct the page and update its Last verified date. The state regulator’s website remains the official word on what is legal.