In May 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States made a groundbreaking ruling which paved the way for the launch of legalized sports betting in more than two dozen states across the country.
The Supreme Court ruled that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) was a violation of the nation’s Tenth Amendment. The act basically made sports gambling legal in the majority of U.S. states.
But after the ruling, several states quickly moved towards legalizing sports betting. In short time, Delaware, New Jersey and Mississippi launched it. Fast forward to 2022, and now more than 30 states have legalized some form of sports betting, with more on the way.
The states of Ohio, Kansas and Maryland have all made significant progress towards legalizing online/mobile sports betting. The hope is that the sportsbooks will go live in all three states at some point in 2022 or in early 2023.
Once it launches, residents of “The Buckeye State” will be able to sign up through popular sportsbooks like FanDuel, Caesars and BetMGM. The FanDuel Ohio sportsbook will offer new customers a $200 in free bets if they place $5 wagers.
Like the other states with legal gambling, Ohio sportsbooks would allow customers to place all sorts of different wagers. This would include futures (division winners, award winners, champions, etc.), point spreads, money lines, prop bets, totals and much more.
For example, Ohio NFL fans could place a bet on either the Cincinnati Bengals or Cleveland Browns winning the Super Bowl next year. The Bengals and Browns are +2100 and +2800 to win the Lombardi Trophy at FanDuel, respectively.
People who enjoy gambling in the U.S. aren’t limited to sports bets, either. Many of these companies/sportsbooks across the country allow you to play your favorite casino games online or through simple tapping on your phone. The sportsbooks also give you the option to play beloved casino games such as poker, slots, roulette and blackjack.
Some States Have Restrictions On Betting
It’s important for avid sports gamblers to keep in mind that there are different rules for gambling in every U.S. state.
For example, the state of Wyoming only allows mobile/online sports. In-person betting is not permitted in the state. Tennessee also allows mobile-only sports wagers to be placed, and it’s unclear if state officials will look towards introducing in-person wagers in the near future.
On the flip side, there are several states that allow only in-person wagers, but not online/mobile bets. The state of Missisissipi only allows in-person bets at licensed casinos for people 21 years and older.
The states of North Carolina, North Dakota and New Mexico permit in-person wagers at certain state tribal casinos. There is no online/mobile betting allowed in either of those states.
States That Allow In-Person & Mobile/Online Wagers
Not every state that has launched legalized sports betting has restrictions.
The state of New York has enjoyed tremendous success in the sports betting economy since going live in January of this year. In early May, it was reported that The Empire State had already taken in over $6 billion in sports wagers.
Several states also put the tax revenue generated from sports wagers to good use. For instance, New York state officials put the revenue towards sports programs for youths as well as education and addiction services.
The state allows both in-person and mobile wagers, and the major Caesars and FanDuel sportsbooks offer customers risk-free bets of up to $1,500 and $1,000, respectively.
Nevada (a world leader in gambling and casinos), Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Arizona are among the many other states that allow wagers to be placed at licensed in-person locations as well as mobile and online apps.
Several professional sports franchises have also struck partnerships with some of the top sportsbooks. The NFL’s Buffalo Bills announced a deal with FanDuel earlier this year, and the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball reached an agreement on an extended partnership with the sportsbook this year.
In Jan. 2021, the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings and the PointsBet sportsbook announced a partnership which included the renaming of a sports bar inside Little Caesars Arena (home of the Red Wings) to “PointsBet Sports Bar”.