The three groups
The counts below are the ones industry trackers report as of November 11, 2026. They are secondary figures: a regulator's own page is the authority, and the register's state pages show what each regulator publishes.
Statewide online sports betting (31 states and DC). Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Retail betting only (8 states). Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin. Betting there takes place at a physical location, and no statewide online wagering is offered.
No legal sports betting (11 states). Alabama, Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.
Two notes on the edges
Nebraska had an online sports wagering measure on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Press reports say voters rejected it; we read no official result, and the state stays in the retail group.
Wisconsin is reported two ways. One source calls online betting authorized but not live, and another calls the state retail only. The register follows the second description until a regulator page settles it.
The legal basis after Murphy v. NCAA
For decades the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act made it unlawful for a state to license or authorize sports betting, with grandfather provisions for four states. The Act did not make betting itself a federal crime, and it let the Attorney General and sports organizations sue to stop violations. The Supreme Court's opinion in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, decided May 14, 2018, concerned New Jersey's repeal of its own sports betting bans. The Court's report gives the case number as 16-476. The Court held that the provision barring states from authorizing sports gambling violates the anticommandeering principle, and the decision left the question of sports betting to each state.
That is why the map above is a map of state laws. There is no federal sports betting license, and the federal statutes that remain are covered in federal gambling law.
Regulators as trackers list them
The table shows the regulator for each online state as an industry tracker lists it. It is secondary information. Where our client could read the regulator's own site, the notes after the table say so.
| State | Regulator (per industry trackers) |
|---|---|
| Arizona | Department of Gaming |
| Arkansas | Racing Commission |
| Colorado | Division of Gaming |
| Connecticut | Department of Consumer Protection |
| Delaware | Lottery |
| District of Columbia | Office of Lottery and Gaming |
| Florida | Gaming Control Commission, with the Seminole compact |
| Illinois | Gaming Board |
| Indiana | Gaming Commission |
| Iowa | Racing and Gaming Commission |
| Kansas | Racing and Gaming Commission |
| Kentucky | Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation |
| Louisiana | Gaming Control Board |
| Maine | Gambling Control Unit |
| Maryland | Lottery and Gaming Control Agency |
| Massachusetts | Gaming Commission |
| Michigan | Gaming Control Board |
| Missouri | Gaming Commission |
| Nevada | Gaming Control Board |
| New Hampshire | Lottery |
| New Jersey | Division of Gaming Enforcement |
| New York | State Gaming Commission |
| North Carolina | State Lottery Commission |
| Ohio | Casino Control Commission |
| Oregon | Lottery |
| Pennsylvania | Gaming Control Board |
| Rhode Island | Lottery |
| Tennessee | Sports Wagering Council |
| Vermont | Department of Liquor and Lottery |
| Virginia | Lottery |
| West Virginia | Lottery Commission |
| Wyoming | Gaming Commission |
What the regulators' own pages show
Four regulator pages were read on November 11, 2026, each after its robots.txt, and two sites refused our client.
- Pennsylvania's Gaming Control Board has a page of online sports wagering operators that names eleven licensed brands and tells players to verify that a site is regulated by the Board.
- The Massachusetts Gaming Commission says that Governor Baker signed the sports wagering act on August 10, 2022, and that General Laws chapter 23N creates three license categories: Category 1 for casinos, Category 2 for racetracks and simulcast centers, and Category 3 for online and mobile operators.
- The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council lists its approved licensees with their license and renewal dates, and states that it is illegal to bet on sports in Tennessee with any operator not on the list.
- Nevada's Gaming Control Board publishes a regulations document current as of September 17, 2026, and its contents include Regulation 22 on race books and sports pools.
- Louisiana's gaming board site answered our client with an access denied error, and so did the Michigan Gaming Control Board's, so neither was read.
Frequently asked questions
Does a state with retail betting allow betting on a phone?
Not statewide. Retail only means that wagers are placed at a licensed physical location. The online group is the list above.
Is sports betting the same as an online casino license?
No. Most states with sports betting have not authorized online casino games, and seven license online casino. The state status table shows both.
Who decides whether a sportsbook is licensed?
The state regulator does. A site that does not appear on the regulator's list holds no license from that state, and Tennessee says so in plain words on its own page.