On May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States has finally lifted the ban on Sports Betting by striking down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992. This was initially challenged by New Jersey as the state was trying to legalize sports betting within its borders with the already existing federal law.
The court’s decision regarding PASPA allowed all states in the US to decide whether theyโd like to legalize sports betting or not. The decision ended with 6-3 votes. PASPA was deemed unconstitutional because it infringed the statesโ rights.
After the Supreme Courtโs decision, many states immediately made a move when it comes to finally allowing sports betting. Currently, there are now thirteen states that have already legalized and launched sports betting. In total, 42 states are already working on coming to a decision regarding this matter.
Gambling is becoming more and more common in the United States. In fact, more states are becoming open towards gambling in general, including playing online casinos like on All-Star Gambling. However, it seems like sports betting is making a lot of noise this year. This is especially because most states are now working on legalizing this.
Here is a guide on where sports betting is legal as of late 2019.
- Nevada
Nevada has always been the city where people can freely bet on sports as it has been legal in this state since 1949. Itโs just most likely that many states will be getting the best practices when it comes to regulating sports betting from this state. Currently, itโs already legal to place bets online and on land-based bookies in Nevada.
- Delaware
This was the first state to actually legalize sports betting after the Supreme Courtโs decision in 2018 regarding PASPA. The decision happened in May and Delaware was able to roll out sports betting by June 5, 2018. Both sports betting online and on land locations are legal within Delawareโs borders.
- New Jersey
After Delaware, New Jersey was also able to roll out legal sports betting in the same month. Currently, it is now one of the largest markets in the country. In May of this year, New Jersey made a noise by finally taking the top spot when it comes to the number of revenues from sports betting. Only people that are 21 years old and above are allowed to bet on sports in New Jersey.
- Arkansas
This is the eighth state to legalize sports betting and it happened in November 2018. There has been a local election when it comes to deciding whether it should actually be legal or not. Over half of the local population agreed to it. Online and mobile sports betting is still not allowed within this state.
- Mississippi
This state was also able to legalize sports betting and launch it on August 1, 2018. The residents of Mississippi can now place bets on local land-based bookies and casinos. With this, mobile or online betting is only allowed if the bettors will be placing their bets inside a licensed casino or bookie.
- West Virginia
Also in August, West Virginia became the fifth state to legalize and regulate sports betting. This first happened at the Hollywood Casino when it opened its doors. The locals of West Virginia can place bets online and in land-based casinos.
- Pennsylvania
Sports betting in Pennsylvania became legal in November 2018. It only initially allowed all sportsbooks to launch without online betting. It was only on May 31 of this year when the state finally allowed mobile betting within its borders.
- Rhode Island
Kind of like what happened with PA, Rhode Island legalized sports betting in 2018 without allowing mobile betting at first. Despite the voters agreeing with this, it was only in the early quarter of 2019 when mobile betting was finally allowed in Rhode Island.
- New York
New York is one of the most recent states that finally allowed sports betting. It was in June of this year when the New York Gaming Commission finally approved the guidelines for regulating sports betting locally. Despite this progress, New York sports bettors are still not as happy as mobile betting is still not allowed in this state.
- Iowa
It’s just last August when Iowa finally allowed sports betting. Operators in this state are required to pay 45,000 USD for the license to accept bets. Mobile betting is already allowed here too. It’s the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission that regulates this in the state.
- Indiana
It was just in June 2019 when Indiana finally allowed sports betting. However, bettors will have to wait for 18 more months after the legislation to be able to partake in online sports betting. The state wanted to give the local casinos a head start. This is why mobile betting has to be delayed.
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