United States

There is no single national betting regulator in the US; the Supreme Court's 2018 Murphy v. NCAA decision struck down the federal PASPA ban and left sports-betting regulation to each state, so legality and rules differ widely. Online sports betting is regulated and live in roughly 30 states plus DC through state gaming commissions and licensed operators, but remains prohibited in major markets including California and Texas.

Horse-race betting is the most settled vertical: pari-mutuel and online advance-deposit wagering (ADW) are authorized under the federal Interstate Horseracing Act and exempted from UIGEA, legal in about 40 states. Prediction markets are genuinely unsettled: Kalshi operates a CFTC-regulated exchange, but its sports event contracts have produced a genuine circuit split — the Third Circuit backed federal preemption against New Jersey in April 2026, while in August 2026 the Ninth Circuit ruled 3-0 that Nevada can enforce its gambling laws against Kalshi — making nationwide availability uncertain and Supreme Court review likely.

For users, sports and horse betting require being physically located in a permitting state and meeting its age rule (commonly 21, sometimes 18).

Online sports betting is legal in the USA and regulated at the state level. The first USA sports betting sites opened in 2018 after the Supreme Court struck down PASPA, the federal law that prohibited sports betting in every state except Nevada. Since then, more than three dozen states have passed legislation to regulate online sports betting and retail sportsbooks in the USA.

In addition, most states permit online horse racing betting and daily fantasy sports. A handful of states have also legalized online casinos and poker sites, although progress on that front has been noticeably slower. The state-by-state nature of US online betting laws has made it confusing to understand what's legal and where, but this page will clear that all up shortly.

Below, this page will outline the most prominent US betting sites that are legal across most of the country, explain which online sportsbooks are legal in each state, and discuss everything else bettors need to know before they bet online.

21+ to play, and T&Cs apply. If gambling is causing you harm, the National Problem Gambling Helpline is 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738), free, confidential and open 24/7. Several states run their own line — many of them use 1-800-GAMBLER — and each state guide names the one for that state.

US Online Sports Betting Sites

The United States is home to dozens of legal sports betting sites and mobile apps, but only a handful have truly national reach. Below are overviews of some of the most well-known and widely available US betting sites.

DraftKings Sportsbook

• Read more: DraftKings Sportsbook Review

DraftKings is one of the United States' two leaders in legal online sports betting and daily fantasy sports. It launched in 2012 as a daily fantasy sports site and eventually became one of the nation's two major DFS operators, competing neck-and-neck with FanDuel for national market dominance.

DraftKings expanded into sports betting after the Supreme Court overturned PASPA and booked the country's first-ever legal sports bet online in 2018 after receiving the green light in New Jersey. The DraftKings Sportsbook app is available in most states with legal sports betting, although in November 2025 the Nevada Gaming Control Board approved DraftKings' request to withdraw its pending Nevada sports betting licence applications as the company pivoted to prediction markets.

Reasons to like DraftKings Sportsbook:

• Extensive market depth: DraftKings accepts wagers on a massive range of sports and provides some of the nation's most granular betting markets - it's not uncommon to find hundreds of wagers on offer for high-profile events.

• Frequent promotions: The promotional lineup at DraftKings provides a never-ending carousel of odds boosts and refund offers for the day's biggest sporting events.

• Feature-rich platform: DraftKings Sportsbook packs in more features than most US sports betting sites. It has betting pools where users compete for cash prizes by answering prediction questions, detailed handicapping tools customers can use for assistance in placing intelligent wagers, an integrated social network, and much more all accessible through a single account.

• High quality software: The DraftKings app and website run smoothly, react instantly to user input, and provide instant access to a wide range of tools, features, and special promotions.

• Excellent loyalty program: DraftKings Dynasty Rewards is the best loyalty program in the US online sports betting industry. Customers earn "DK Crowns" for nearly every action they take on DraftKings and can exchange them for bonus dollars, contest entries, live events, electronics, and more. Additionally, customers move up through a tiered VIP system as they bet online to unlock increasingly valuable perks such as exclusive promotions, priority customer service, invitations to live experiences and VIP events, faster DK Crown earn rates, and more.

Where DraftKings has room to improve:

• Crowded interface: Sometimes, it seems DraftKings tries to do too much and ends up cluttering the screen. Between the various handicapping tools, betting pools, promotional offers, fantasy contests, and multiple menus, it can get distracting and overwhelming.

• Too much emphasis on parlays: DraftKings heavily promotes parlays and same-game parlays, which happen to have the highest house advantage of all types of sports wagers. It's fine for bettors who like parlays, but it's annoying for everyone else because it seems like you just can't get away from them.

BetMGM Sportsbook

• Read more: BetMGM Review

BetMGM Sportsbook launched in 2018 and has quickly become one of the prominent US online sportsbooks. As a 50/50 joint venture between MGM Resorts and Entain, BetMGM Sportsbook is a well-funded operator that has spared no expense on software development, marketing, and promotions. The BetMGM app is available in most states with legal online sports betting and welcomes new customers with a massive welcome bonus, followed by frequent promotions and access to a comprehensive rewards program.

Reasons to like BetMGM Sportsbook:

• Vast wagering menu: One of the benefits of choosing a well-funded online sportsbook is that it has the resources to offer lines on a vast range of sports and provide dozens to hundreds of markets for all professional US games and high-profile international matches. BetMGM offers options upon options, ranging from standard bets on who will win the game to highly niche propositions. In addition, BetMGM has an extremely busy in-play betting calendar.

• Solid promotional lineup: BetMGM has several promotions running at all times, starting with its large welcome bonus and including money-back offers, enhanced odds, and parlay insurance.

• Many features: The BetMGM app and website rank right alongside DraftKings in terms of betting features. BetMGM customers can watch live streaming sports online, view real-time stats updates while betting on games in-play, save their favorite teams and leagues, and use the parlay builder to create custom parlays.

• Access to MGM Rewards: All BetMGM customers benefit from MGM Rewards as soon as they register and begin placing wagers. As customers place wagers, they unlock various rewards and move up through the tiered VIP system to receive ongoing benefits such as discounts on hotel stays, faster point earn rates, complementary cruises, tickets to live events, and much more. It's an all-encompassing rewards program, but it is especially beneficial to customers who frequently visit MGM Resorts properties in person.

Where BetMGM has room to improve:

• MGM Rewards needs more online-centric perks: MGM Rewards is a competitive loyalty program, but online-only sports bettors will find it less rewarding than customers who regularly visit MGM destinations. Customers who do all their betting online can redeem BetMGM Rewards Points for bonuses and benefit from some passive tier perks, but MGM Rewards leans heavily toward in-person rewards.

• Customer support can be frustrating: The BetMGM website provides an exhaustive self-help guide full of FAQs that can help customers find solutions for most issues, but getting help from live support agents can be frustrating. Getting help with specific issues often involves more back-and-forth e-mails than it should, and the support personnel don't always seem to know the product well.

States That Have Legalized Online Sports Betting

The following US states have legalized mobile sports betting apps and online sportsbooks.

• Arizona Sports Betting

• Arkansas

• Colorado Sports Betting

• Connecticut

• Delaware

• Illinois Sports Betting

• Indiana Sports Betting

• Iowa Sports Betting

• Kansas Sports Betting

• Kentucky

• Louisiana

• Maine

States That Have Legalized In-Person Sports Betting

The following US states have legalized retail sportsbooks:

• Arizona

• Arkansas

• Colorado

• Connecticut

• Delaware

• Illinois

• Indiana

• Iowa

• Kansas

• Kentucky

• Louisiana

• Maine

Online Horse Racing Betting

Online horse racing betting has long enjoyed a privileged legal status in the United States with exemptions from the Wire Act, PASPA, and the UIGEA. Even during the darkest days of the sports betting prohibition, online horse racing betting carried on in the open at legal, licensed betting sites.

Online horse racing wagering has been available in the USA for roughly two decades and remains active to this day. Sites such as TwinSpires — Churchill Downs' online pari-mutuel racing brand, under which the company rebranded its former BetAmerica sportsbook and online gaming products in 2021 — have been active for years as trusted places for people to bet on horse and greyhound races online.

US gaming laws require all racing betting sites to have permission from the various racetracks on which they accept wagers, so everything is above board. Even better – all wagers placed online are pooled with wagers taken in-person at the track. This means you are paid at the same odds as everyone else, even if you place your wagers from hundreds of miles away.

The one thing that causes some confusion is which sites are legal in which states. Each state has its own racing betting laws – some states allow some online racebooks but not others. Some states prohibit online racing betting altogether.

For the most part, the United States is pro-racing. Most people reading this may bet on horses online at the major betting sites. If you try to sign up at a licensed betting site and are rejected, it is most likely due to living in a state where that site lacks a license.

States With Legal Online Horse Racing Betting

Some states actively regulate online horse racing betting, and some simply allow it amid a lack of legal clarity. In most states, local regulators either regulate or tolerate advance deposit wagering.

• Alabama

• Arizona

• Arkansas

• California

• Colorado

• Connecticut

• Delaware

• Florida

• Idaho

• Illinois

• Indiana

• Iowa

• Kansas

• Kentucky

• Louisiana

• Maine

• Maryland

• Massachusetts

• Michigan

• Minnesota

• Missouri

• Montana

• Nebraska

• Nevada (via mobile sportsbooks)

• New Hampshire

• New Jersey

• New Mexico

• New York

• North Carolina

• North Dakota

• Ohio

• Oklahoma

• Oregon

• Pennsylvania

• Rhode Island

• South Dakota

• Tennessee

• Vermont

• Virginia

• Washington (commission-authorized providers only)

• West Virginia

• Wisconsin

• Wyoming

States That Prohibit Advance Deposit Wagering

Only a handful of states explicitly outlaw online horse racing betting.

• Alaska

• Georgia

• Hawaii

• Mississippi

• South Carolina

• Texas

• Utah

Online Poker in the USA

The passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) brought that all to a grinding halt as it pushed most of the major operators out of the United States. A few stalwart poker sites remained open to US players, but legal concerns and difficulty in processing payments led to a major contraction in the US market.

Now, online poker may be in the midst of a comeback with several states choosing to legalize and regulate online poker. Several states now have poker sites that are legal, licensed and safe:

• Delaware

• Michigan

• Nevada

• New Jersey

• Pennsylvania

• West Virginia

US poker sites have a bright future, but there is still plenty of room for improvement on the legislative side of things.

In the meantime, players in the aforementioned states may log on to play cash games and tournaments just like you would find in the real world. Texas Holdem and Omaha tend to dominate, but other games such as 7 Card Stud can also be found online (although without much action currently).

US Online Casinos

Online gambling has followed a similar path to online poker in the United States so far – both experienced a period of almost no regulation and both were hit hard by the UIGEA in 2006. And then, both received a break in 2011 when the Department of Justice issued an opinion stating that the Federal Wire Act only applies to online sports betting.

That decision paved the way for states to regulate and license online casinos. Since then, eight states have passed laws to regulate casino sites:

• Connecticut

• Delaware

• Maine

• Michigan

• New Jersey

• Pennsylvania

• Rhode Island

• West Virginia

There were high hopes that online gambling would spread faster than it has since the DOJ ruling in 2011, but things have moved a bit slower than expected. Delaware and New Jersey legalized online casinos in 2013 and then there was a good five-year stretch before Pennsylvania joined the fray. Since then the pace has picked up: Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Maine have all legalized online casino gaming, making Maine the eighth state to do so.

Gambling sites are better equipped to offer higher payout games and welcome bonuses due to significantly lower overhead costs. A brick-and-mortar casino must pay for the building, upkeep, staff, dealers and so on.

Other than that, the casino games you find on the internet operate in the same basic manner as those found at any Vegas establishment. All the same rules, payouts and bets are in play just like you’d find at your favorite local casino.

History of Online Betting in the United States

Online sports betting and gambling have been available to US citizens since the early 90s and the industry as a whole has undergone four distinct phases between then and now.

The Early Years

During those early days back in the 90s, online gambling was completely unregulated. The Federal Wire Act made it illegal for operators to take sports wagers online, but law enforcement back then had other priorities. Online gaming sites simply headquartered their operations offshore and conducted business relatively unmolested.

The first United States online betting sites actually hit the market in the mid-90s. Sites such as Intertops (1996) and Planet Poker (1998) were some of the first market movers. They hosted the first real money games over the internet and saw some limited success.

Online casinos, sportsbooks and casinos flourished during those early years. The Wire Act remained an ongoing concern, and the occasional online bookie was arrested if he made the mistake of visiting the US, but business was good for the most part.

In the early 2000s, Pacific Poker, Party Poker, PokerStars and Bookmaker and several other big names joined the gold rush. Ultimate Bet joined the market in 2003, followed by Full Tilt Poker in 2004. These sites all grew to become household names in the US and around the world.

From about 2002-2006, these sites enjoyed the “golden age” of online gambling around the world. It was during this time that the famous “Poker Boom” occurred after Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas after winning his seat through an online satellite tournament hosted by PokerStars.

The Crackdown

Things took a dramatic turn when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed in 2006. The UIGEA still did not target individual players, but it had an immense effect on the industry by prohibiting banking institutions from processing financial transactions on behalf of offshore betting sites, poker sites and casinos.

Many of the biggest names that served the US market at the time opted to leave the US after they saw the government was serious about enforcing the UIGEA.

Some betting sites accepted the legal risk and stayed open to US customers. Sites such as Bovada, BetOnline and 5Dimes continued operations despite knowingly breaking US law. Some of those sites are open to this day but operate completely outside the bounds of US law and regulation, although 5Dimes blocked all US customers from 25 September 2020 as part of a $46.8m settlement with the Department of Justice.

Legalization of US Online Gambling

The Department of Justice responded with an opinion in 2011 stating that it interprets the Wire Act as applying only to sports betting. This opinion was a big deal because it didn’t just authorize online lotteries; it also gave states the go-ahead to legalize online casino games and poker.

Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey all quickly jumped on the opportunity and legalized online casino games, online poker or both in the wake of the decision. Pennsylvania has also joined the party with its own law to permit multiple forms of online gaming, and five more states have legalized online casino gaming since.

The biggest hurdle faced by states that legalize online gaming is liquidity. As the law stands now, states may only offer games to people within state borders.

The good news is states are allowed to set up compact agreements which allow them to share player pools if both states have legalized online gambling. For example, six states — Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, West Virginia, Michigan and Pennsylvania — now take part in the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement, which lets operators share poker tables across state lines.

Legalization of Sports Betting in the USA

Sports betting got its own break in 2018 when the Supreme Court issued a ruling that declared PASPA unconstitutional. That ruling came about after a long-running court case which pitted the NCAA and major pro sports leagues against New Jersey in the Garden State’s effort to legalize sports betting.

New Jersey kicked off the debate back in 2011 when voters approved a referendum to allow the state to legalize sports betting at authorized casinos, racetracks and betting sites. The NJ legislature then drafted and approved of a sports betting bill, which Governor Christie signed in 2012.

This prompted the NCAA and major professional sports leagues to sue New Jersey to stop the legislation from taking effect. The crux of the leagues’ argument was the New Jersey’s law was in violation of PASPA. New Jersey tried several approaches to authorize sports betting, but ultimately landed on arguing that PASPA itself was an unconstitutional law that trampled on states’ rights.

To make a long story short, the case eventually went all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States and New Jersey was handed a victory when PASPA was ruled unconstitutional.

New Jersey’s victory paved the way for states to legalize and regulate sports betting as they see fit. Numerous states have since taken the opportunity to legalize sports betting in the real world, online or both.

Online Gambling Laws in the United States

Online gambling has had a tumultuous history in the United States with players, operators and lawmakers all pushing and pulling the industry in a hundred different directions. Some government types seek outright prohibition while others seek absolute legalization.

To further confuse things, gaming laws vary from state to state. Federal gaming laws apply across the country (with exceptions of course) while state laws regulate gaming within each state. It all makes for a big, confusing mess. It’s not all bad, though. Today I’m going to break it down and explain our country’s gaming laws in a way that makes sense for everyday readers.

Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA)

A number of laws regulate gaming on the federal level, but the most significant of these is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). Certain members of Congress saw the size of the industry, noted the billions of dollars flowing overseas and decided to attempt a prohibition of online poker, sports betting and casino games.

Anti-gambling lawmakers knew they had no chance in passing any sort of legislation that would actually criminalize the act of playing online. So, they came up with the UIGEA to target the financial services industry and cut off the money supply to offshore gaming sites.

The UIGEA was immensely unpopular from its inception, but clever legal maneuvering allowed supporters to attach the UIGEA to a piece of unrelated “must pass” legislation called the SAFE Port Act dealing with port security. The UIGEA was added to the SAFE Port Act as a rider at 9:29 PM the day before Congress adjourned for the 2006 elections. Even worse, to vote against the UIGEA would have required a vote against safeguarding our nation’s ports.

The UIGEA was passed into law the following day and finally went into effect on January 19th, 2009. Even before the law took effect, it had an immediate impact on the industry in the United States. A number of big-name online betting sites immediately left the US market, stopped accepting players from the US and focused their efforts elsewhere.

Other operators decided that the risk was worth it and continued to operate in the US despite the increased legal risk. Those that stayed knew they played a dangerous game. They also faced increased difficulty in processing deposits and issuing payouts. Depositing became more complicated and average payout speeds slowed.

The UIGEA put a dent on illegal online gambling, but the practice continues to this day and remains a major industry. The failure of the UIGEA to stop illegal gambling has been used (successfully in some states) to justify legalizing, regulating and taxing online gambling and sports betting in the USA.

If it’s going to happen anyways, the argument goes, we might as well tax it and enact safeguards protecting consumers, problem gamblers and the integrity of sports.

What the UIGEA Accomplished

There are many misconceptions about what the UIGEA actually says. Shoddy news reporting led many to believe online gambling was criminalized with the passage of the UIGEA. This is untrue.

What the UIGEA actually did was prohibit banks and other financial institutions from doing business with illegal, foreign gaming sites. Credit card processors were instructed to decline transactions to known gaming sites, banks were prohibited from processing bank transfers to gambling sites and e-wallets such as Neteller were told to comply or face the risk of prosecution.

Companies such as Neteller and Skrill were forced to leave the US market as they were considered “third party payment processors.” This severely limited the options regular people had for funding their gambling accounts.

However, the operators that chose to remain open to US customers found ways around the restrictions. They were able to process some deposits via credit cards, debit cards and direct bank transfers.

In the end, the only real effect the UIGEA had was to scare some companies out of the US market and make it slightly more difficult for players to make deposits. Online gambling remains a multibillion-dollar business in the United States to this day. Where there is a demand, people will always find a way to get their fix.

If you do have problems depositing at a licensed gaming site, customer support can usually help you find an alternative deposit method.

Where the UIGEA Failed

The UIGEA did not criminalize the act of placing bets online. Even after the passage of the UIGEA, people continued to gamble online by the millions from within the United States.

Noteable Exemptions

Several noteworthy exemptions were included in the text of the UIGEA. Specifically, online horse racing betting, fantasy sports and games of skill were exempted from the provisions of the UIGEA. This is why horse racing sites such as TwinSpires and fantasy sports sites such as DraftKings may operate and advertise in the open today.

Federal Wire Act

The Federal Wire Act of 1961 was responsible for the lack of sports betting in the United States outside of Nevada for decades. In short, the Wire Act criminalized the transmission of or assistance in sports wagering by any form of “wire communication.”

The Federal Wire Act was for years interpreted to apply to all forms of online betting, which resulted in a federal policy that no form of online gambling or poker may ever be legalized.

This changed in 2011 when the US Department of Justice issued an opinion that the Federal Wire Act only applies to sports betting and not to other forms of wagering. This relaxed the grip of the feds and gave individual states the right to legalize online casino games and poker if they so choose.

Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA)

The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) outlawed sports betting across the United States except Nevada. Additionally, parlay-style sports betting games offered by the Delaware, Montana, and Oregon lotteries were exempted from the law.

Under PASPA, Nevada had a monopoly over single-game sports betting in the United States. Other states did not have the option to legalize sports betting even if they wanted to during the PASPA days.

New Jersey mounted a legal challenge to PASPA beginning in 2011 when voters there approved a law to legalize sports betting. This started a multi-year legal battle that eventually culminated in the Supreme Court ruling PASPA unconstitutional and striking down the law in 2018.

Now, individual states have the authority to legalize and regulate sports betting as they see fit. The first US online sportsbooks launched within months of the decision, and many more have followed suit since.

State Gambling Laws

Every state in the US also has its own take on gambling. Some states completely outlaw all forms of gambling while others allow everything from online sports betting to online lotteries. The trend in recent years has been for individual states to expand what is legal online. Numerous states now have online betting, casino games, poker, lotteries and horse racing betting.

Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware were the first three states to pursue legalization after the afore-mentioned 2011 DOJ ruling. Nevada eventually legalized online poker while New Jersey and Delaware legalized online poker and casinos. In all three states, the state government is responsible for overseeing the industry and issuing licenses to operators. Pennsylvania, West Virginia and more states have likewise followed suit.

Legal US Betting Site Reviews

We actively rate and review all licensed and regulated betting sites that accept US customers.  See our current list below, we are working to expand the list as more operators enter the space.

US Betting FAQ

Here’s a quick list of common questions and answers to all. If you’re new to online betting in the USA, this is a great place to get yourself up to date on the current situation.