The map
Sports betting legal states 2026: the complete map
The short answer
Roughly 39 states plus DC and Puerto Rico now permit some form of legal sports wagering, but the map has three distinct tiers: statewide mobile betting (the largest group), retail-only wagering confined to casinos or tracks, and tribal-only frameworks like Florida's. Missouri was the most recent statewide mobile launch in December 2025; the remaining holdouts — Texas, California, Georgia and others — face constitutional or political barriers, not scheduling ones.
In this article
Eight years after the Supreme Court ended the federal ban, legal sports betting covers most of the US map — but 'legal' means different things in different states. A resident of one state can bet from a phone anywhere inside it; a resident of another has to drive to a casino; a third lives where no licensed product exists at all.
Illustrative example
| Tier | What it allows | Representative states |
|---|---|---|
| Statewide mobile | Online wagering anywhere in state lines via licensed apps | New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Missouri and most legal states |
| Retail-focused | Wagering at casinos, racinos or tracks; limited or no online | Mississippi, Montana (on-site mobile), South Dakota |
| Tribal compact model | Wagering operated under tribal-state compact rather than commercial licenses | Florida (Seminole), Wisconsin, Washington |
The newest additions
Missouri is the most recent major launch: voters approved Amendment 2 in November 2024 by a razor-thin margin, and the Gaming Commission opened statewide mobile wagering on December 1, 2025, with a full slate of licensed operators. The launch followed the standard pattern — a licensing round, geolocation-verified apps, and a tax structure negotiated during the ballot campaign.
Who is still out — and why
- Texas: requires a constitutional amendment, which failed to advance in the 2025 legislative session — the legislature meets biennially, so the next window is 2027.
- California: commercial and tribal ballot measures both failed badly in 2022; tribal sovereignty questions keep the path blocked.
- Georgia: constitutional amendment efforts have stalled repeatedly in the legislature.
- Minnesota: tribal-state negotiations over exclusivity have stalled bills for several sessions.
- Hawaii and Utah: no gambling infrastructure of any kind; Utah's constitutional ban is essentially permanent.
The parallel casino map is much smaller — seven states license online casino. The newest state's mechanics are in our Missouri launch report, and the category trying to route around the map entirely is covered in prediction markets vs. sportsbooks.
