In what US states can I gamble online?

The online gambling regulatory framework is constantly changing in the US. Especially in the recent years a lot of changes have been made. Several states have opened their market for online sports betting and even online casino games. Below we will highlight the current situation of the regulatory framework per US state.

Arizona

Online sports betting was launch in Arizona on September 9^th, 2021. Punters can now bet on sports through online sites, sports betting apps, and retail sports betting locations. Since the change of legislations most of the big names have found the state. Popular sports betting brands in Arizona are BetMGM, Caesars, Fanduel, Unibet, and of course DraftKings.

Colorado

In the Centennial State online sports betting is regulated since 2020. So, in addition to sky-high mountains you will also be able to enjoy sky-high betting profits in Colorado.

The Colorado sports betting market consist of Native American casinos, independent land-based sportsbooks, and of course excellent online sportsbooks and betting apps. All big names are available online in Colorado including BetMGM, BetRivers, DraftKings, PointsBet, and Caesars. This gives bettors and excellent choice when looking for a new place to bet online.

Connecticut

Since the end of 2021, Connecticut sports betting has been legal, both online and in physical venues. The latter came first, in September of that year, closely followed by the launch of SugarHouse, FanDuel and DraftKings on October 19th.

Since the legislation the growth of CT sports betting revenue has been impressive. Within the first two weeks of online sports betting over $50 million worth of bets were placed at only three sportsbooks. This shows that Connecticuter’s are really passioned about betting on their favorite sports.

Delaware

Delaware has been a frontier in the US gambling market. Sports betting has been legal in Delaware since 2018. It actually was the first state after Nevada to introduce sports betting.

Now Delaware is one of the most competitive (online) gambling market with an estimated annual revenue of $1 billion. Currently casino gambling, poker, horse race betting, lotteries, charitable gaming, and online gambling is allowed in Delaware. With this in mind, the state really lives up to its own motto ‘’Liberty and Independence’’.

Indiana

On May 8th, 2019, Indiana sports betting was legalized. Governor Eric Holcomb signed House Bill 1015, paving the way for both retail and online sportsbooks to operate in the Hoosier State.

The first three retail betting sites opened up on September 1^st the same year. A month later the first online sportsbooks opened up shop, with BetRivers and DraftKings being the first to accept online wagers.

Nowadays you will have access to a full range of sportsbooks in Indiana. All big players are operational including MGM, PointsBet, Caesars, Unibet, and Fanduel.

Illinois

Sports betting was legalized in Illinois in June 2019. However, it wasn’t until March of the following year that a retail sportsbook opened its doors. Then, in June 2020, BetRivers became the first online betting site to operate legally in the Prairie State.

Now you will be able to utilize a full range of online sportsbooks in Illinois. Most big operators are available including BetMGM, PointsBet, Fanduel, Caesars, BetRivers, and DraftKings. By using any of our bonus codes in Illinois you can now bag risk free bets worth up to $2000.

Iowa

Iowa has a long history with gambling. The Hawkeye State started legalizing gambling back in 1983 with the Pari-muteal Wagering Act. This legislation made betting on horse racing legal. After this first big step the first riverboat casinos were introduced in 1991.

In 2019 the final step got made. In 2019 the groundwork was laid for fully regulated online sportsbooks in the state. Currently you will be able to enjoy Iowa sports betting at various operators including all the big brand such as DraftKings, MGM & Fanduel.

Real money casino games are not available in Iowa. This might be introduced in the future, but there are still no signs off concrete steps.

Louisiana

After approving new legislations in October of 2021, sports betting became legal in Louisiana on January 28, 2022. However, sports betting is not allowed everywhere in Louisiana. In 55 of the state’s parishes, it is legal to place online bets on sports, but in 9 parishes sports betting is not allowed and geo-blocked.

Now you can place wagers on sports at various licensed Louisiana sportsbooks. Most big names including DraftKings, MGM, and Caesars are present in the state. Expected is that more sportsbooks will open in the state. The legislations make it possible for up to 41 operators in the state, which creates an excellent playing field for sports bettors in the state.

Michigan

January 22^nd, 2021 was the big day for sports betting in Michigan. From this date it became legal for people to place bets on sports in the Great Lakes region. Simultaneously it became possible for MI online casinos to start offering online casino games for real money. This makes Michigan one of the states with the best online gambling offering.

Mississippi

In the state of Mississippi, sports betting at a retail site such as a casino has been legal since August 2018. However, several attempts to allow online sportsbooks have fallen by the wayside. The most recent attempt came in January 2022, but the bill died in committee just a month later.

Currently you can only use BetMGM’s mobile sports betting solution in Mississippi to place bets on location. Further online betting is currently not available yet. If any of the regulations change and make this available, we will let you know.

Nevada

Surprisingly Nevada hasn’t legalized playing casino games in online casinos. If you want to gamble in Nevada, you will need to be at least 21 and you will need to visit a brick-and-mortar casino. Currently you will find 300+ commercial casinos in the state of Nevada which have an approximate annual revenue over $14 billion.

In addition to visiting the Strip in Las Vegas you can play online. In Nevada it is allowed to play in online poker rooms. There are various great poker apps available which allow you to play real money wagers against other players. In addition to online poker, you can also play daily fantasy sports and bet on horse racing.

New York

One of hottest new online betting markets is New York. In 2022 new regulations came in play allowing online sports betting in the state of New York. This allowed people to bet online in the state, instead of going to New Jersey to place some wagers. The launch of the NY betting market has been a massive success. During the first eights weeks the Empire State placed bets worth over $3.1 billion. Some of the biggest contributors to this amount where FanDuel, Caesars sportsbook, and DraftKings. This left the state with over $100 million in tax revenues.

Regular betting in shops and casinos was already allowed in the state of New York. Since 2019 people were allowed to place bets on their favorite sports. This made New York the latest state of legalize sports betting.

New Jersey

New Jersey allows online sports betting and playing online casino games for real money. Although New Jersey, and especially Atlantic City, are known for being a gambler’s dream the gambling laws are not that good as you might think. Currently NJ online casinos, playing poker for real money, horse race betting, lotteries, charity gambling, and NJ online sports betting is allowed. Tribal gaming, God race betting, fantasy sports, and social gaming are not allowed. In total the New Jersey gambling industry is worth a staggering $6 billion in revenue and growing.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is one of the newest US states that allows gambling. Back in 2018 the state passed laws to legalize gambling. Later, The Keystone State also pushed new legislations that allows online gambling. Now it is legal for operators to offer PA sportsbetting, online casino in PA, poker games, and other forms of online gambling.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) oversees all types of legalized gambling in the state. They make sure operators offer a fair and secure product which players can enjoy. Some of the bigger casino operators in the state are Betrivers Casino PA, BetMGM Casino Pennsylvania, and Caesars Pennsylvania.

Tennesseee

The approval of the Sports Gaming Act in July 2019 cleared the way for Tennessee to enjoy legal sports betting. However, the state took an unusual approach, becoming the first to adopt an online-only approach to wagering.

Now you can only use mobile betting apps and sites in the Volunteer State to place wagers on sports events. No retail sports betting locations are allowed. Online betting is possible at various prestigious brands such as BetMGM, DraftKings, Caesars, and Fanduel.

Virginia

Starting from January 21, 2020, sports betting became legal in Virginia. Soon The Virginia Lottery Board received 25 applications for a $250,00 three-year license. Not all have them are processed but currently various big names offer mobile betting apps and online betting sites for visitors and residents of the Old Dominion state. This includes BetMGM, Betrivers, DraftKings, Caesars, and Fanduel.

West Virginia

West Virginia sports betting first started when the Supreme Court legalized sports wagers in 2018. Within months, the legislature had a regulatory framework in place and major sportsbooks were setting up shop. By 2019, the earliest of these sites were live, and West Virginians could begin to place their first legal bets.

Nowadays residents from the Mountain State can enjoy various convenient online betting platforms. This includes all nation-wide favorites such as BetMGM, PointsBet, DraftKings, Caesars, and Fanduel. All these big names offer you very generous promotions when opening an account with free bets up to $2000.

Wyoming

Online sports betting in Wyoming became legal when Governor Mark Gordon signed House Bill 133 into law. That took place on April 5th, 2021, with the first online sportsbooks launching almost exactly five months later.

Retail sportsbooks are not available in Wyoming which ensures all wagers go online.

Currently Wyoming still has a fairly limited number of operators being active in the market. Bettors can sign up at BetMGM, DraftKings, or Fanduel in order to place online bets.

With a limited amount of betting possibilities sales figures in Wyoming are still low.

Why we only recommend and promote regulated online casinos & sportsbooks

On BestBettingCasinos.com USA you will only find online casinos and sports betting sites that are licensed by official regulators. Although it is possible for people to play at unregulated sportsbooks and casinos, we don’t recommend it. Betting or gambling at unregulated sites comes with various disadvantages and big risks.

1. Betting sites and casinos without a license are known for stalling withdrawals. They hope you will give up or continue playing so they make more money.
2. You never know what unregulated betting sites and casinos do with your personal details and documentations. They might have bad intentions or sell the data to criminals who might try to scam you.
3. Unregulated gambling platforms are no subject to the US laws. This means you have nowhere to fall back on when they cheat on you.

On the other hand, regulated casinos and sportsbooks are strictly monitored. Each US state has its own regulator which hands out licenses after a long and intensive process. During this process casinos and sportsbooks need to show they are 100% fair, and they uphold the highest standard regarding safety, responsible gambling, and more. Regulated platforms are also constantly audited to ensure they still pass the strict rules that apply on online gambling.

As you can see it has a lot of advantages to play at the regulated offering out there. Although this is the case unregulated brands might still try to lure you in using unbelievable promotions such as a $200 no deposit bonus and 200 free spins. Don’t fall for these offers, they are not real, or they will not pay you when you win.

Bottomline: Stick to the regulated market and you will be fine!

Popular alternative for online casino gambling; Sweepstakes casinos

As a gambler you might be aware that online casino games are only available in a limited amount of US states. Currently, only New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, and Delaware, allow legal online gambling. We expect that more states will follow, but regulating a new market is complex and takes a lot of time.

When you are in a state that doesn’t allow online casino games you might be interested in an excellent alternative, sweepstakes casinos. Online sweeps let you play online casino games such as slots for real money, but then with unique coins. By playing with coins that you can exchange for money you don’t really gamble with real money, but the bottom line is the same.

Sweepstakes, or social casinos are some of you might call them, are 100% legal in 49 US states. Only players from Washington and Idaho are prohibited from joining social casinos. If you are looking for more information about this subject, I recommend reading our sweepstakes casino guide here.