Idaho Betting

There is no legal sports betting in Idaho, online or in person, and the obstacle is the state constitution rather than a mere statute: Article III, Section 20 names the only three forms of gambling Idaho permits, and sports betting is not among them. Idaho is also, however, one of a small number of prohibition states where legal online betting on horse racing exists, because advance deposit wagering is expressly declared lawful by statute — and using an unlicensed out-of-state site for it is a felony.

The Constitutional Provision

"Section 20. Gambling prohibited. (1) Gambling is contrary to public policy and is strictly prohibited except for the following: a. A state lottery which is authorized by the state if conducted in conformity with enabling legislation; and b. Pari-mutuel betting if conducted in conformity with enabling legislation; and c. Bingo and raffle games that are operated by qualified charitable organizations in the pursuit of charitable purposes if conducted in conformity with enabling legislation. (2) No activities permitted by subsection (1) shall employ any form of casino gambling… (3) The legislature shall provide by law penalties for violations of this section." — Idaho Constitution, Article III, Section 20

The list is closed and it sits in the constitution, so a bill cannot add to it. Legalising sports betting in Idaho would require a joint resolution amending that section and then a vote of the people. That is a materially different proposition from the position in Hawaii or Minnesota, where a legislature acting alone could do the job.

The criminal statute matches the constitution. Idaho Code §18-3801 defines gambling as risking anything of value "for gain contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance, the operation of a gambling device or the happening or outcome of an event, including a sporting event" — the words "including a sporting event" are in the definition itself, which removes any argument about whether sports wagering is covered. Section 18-3802 provides that a person is guilty of gambling by participating in it, or by knowingly permitting it on property under the person's control, and that "Gambling is a misdemeanor". The exclusions in §18-3801 run to bona fide contests of skill where awards go only to entrants, bona fide business transactions valid under the law of contracts, games that award only additional play, and merchant promotional drawings where no consideration is charged.

Online Horse Race Betting Is Lawful

This is the provision most often got wrong about Idaho:

"(10) Advance deposit wagering on live and/or simulcast horse racing conducted by licensees is hereby declared to be lawful and within the scope of the licensee's license. As used in this section, 'advance deposit wagering' means a form of wagering in which an account holder may deposit money with a licensee and then use the balance to fund wagers. The bettor can then contact the licensee from a location without actually being physically present at the licensee's premises… Any advance deposit wagering conducted by a person with a provider outside of the state by telephone or other electronic means shall be a felony unless that provider is licensed by the Idaho state racing commission and provides a source market fee of not less than ten percent (10%) of the handle forwarded monthly to the commission." — Idaho Code §54-2512(10)

Read the last sentence twice. Online horse wagering is lawful in Idaho through a provider licensed by the Idaho State Racing Commission, and using one that is not licensed here is a felony rather than a technicality. The Commission describes itself as "a self-funded agency funded through licenses, pari-mutuel wagers, and simulcasting fees", and lists its track application categories as "Live Race Meet – Simulcast – ADW". It does not publish a roster of licensed providers, so this page names none; the Commission is the body to ask.

Any other form of betting on a race is barred. Section 54-2512(13) makes it unlawful "to conduct pool selling, bookmaking, or to circulate handbooks, or to bet or wager on a race of any licensed race meet, other than by the pari-mutuel system", and in the same breath makes it unlawful "knowingly to permit any minor to use the pari-mutuel system". Simulcasting is capped hard: one licence per live race meet licensee, and "No more than one (1) simulcast and/or televised race facility per county". Live dog racing is a felony under §54-2514A, which preserves only simulcast wagering at a facility licensed before 1 January 1996; the Commission's site identifies that venue as the Greyhound Park and Event Center in Post Falls.

The Rest of What Is Legal

The state lottery is authorised by Title 67, Chapter 74, and charitable gaming by Title 67, Chapter 77, whose chapter heading reads "BINGO AND RAFFLES". Tribal gaming operates under compacts: Idaho Code §67-429B authorises Indian tribes "to conduct gaming using tribal video gaming machines pursuant to state-tribal gaming compacts which specifically permit their use", and provides that such a machine "is not a slot machine or an electronic or electromechanical imitation or simulation of any form of casino gambling". That section was enacted not by the legislature but by voter initiative in 2003. Which tribes hold compacts is not published in a state list that could be read for this page.

Historical horse racing is gone. SB 1011 of 2015 repealed the law permitting pari-mutuel betting on historical horse races; the legislature's record shows it passing the Senate 25-9-1 and the House 49-21-0, the Governor vetoing it, and then "Veto SUSTAINED by Senate" after an override vote failed 19-16-0. The current code nonetheless contains no section authorising such wagering — the chapter has no §54-2512A — while the definition of a "Historical horse race" survives unused in §54-2502(3). The case that reconciles those two facts is Coeur d'Alene Tribe v. Lawerence Denney, Idaho Supreme Court Docket No. 43169, decided 20 November 2015 and reported at 161 Idaho 508, 387 P.3d 761. The opinion text could not be retrieved for this page, so the citation is given without the holding.

Minimum Age

Idaho sets 18 for the lottery by statute: §67-7415 provides that "No tickets or shares in the lottery games shall be sold by or to persons under the age of eighteen (18)." For racing, the statute bars "any minor" from the pari-mutuel system without naming a number, and the Commission's own licensing rules were not read for this page, so no figure is asserted here for wagering on horses.

What Is Pending

No pending Idaho sports-betting bill or constitutional amendment could be located. That is a not-found rather than a proven absence, and in any case nothing short of a joint resolution would matter, given the constitutional list above.

Prediction Markets

Idaho's Attorney General has acted, but in another state's case rather than against anyone in Idaho. A press release dated 23 March 2026 records that Attorney General Raúl Labrador joined a 39-state amicus brief in the Ninth Circuit in the consolidated appeals arising from Nevada's enforcement against Kalshi and Crypto.com, and quotes him directly: "States like Idaho that choose to ban sports betting would be prevented from enforcing those bans under the CFTC's theory". No Idaho cease-and-desist was found, and a docket search of the District of Idaho returned no case against a prediction market. Hence the grey-market label here: a stated position, but no in-state enforcement.

Responsible Gambling

Idaho operates no helpline of its own, and its racing regulator says as much by pointing elsewhere: "The Idaho State Racing Commission supports the efforts of the National Council on Problem Gambling to provide help for persons who may have a gambling problem. If you or someone you know has or might have a problem, please call 1-800-522-4700 for help".