Guide to Legal Gambling in the United States

If you’re interested in learning about the legal forms of online and in-person legal gambling within the United States, you’ve come to the right place: GamblingSites.us! Our goal is to inform our readers about the forms of gambling that can be legally enjoyed across the country, whether you are a sports bettor or a gambler who prefers casino games like slots, blackjack, or other table games.

Our site is packed with a ton of helpful information to help you understand and learn everything you need to know about legal gambling in the US, including which states allow casino gaming and sports betting, as well as the importance of responsible gambling practices and making sure that you’re using a casino or sports betting app or website that is fully licensed and regulated within the United States.

Legal Gambling by State—States Where You Can Legally Gamble in 2026

Currently, many different states allow residents to enjoy some form of gambling online. It’s essential to note that laws vary between states regarding what is technically legal or not. However, things will quickly begin to change thanks to the legislation passed in the United States related to sports betting regulation.

In the map below, we’ve highlighted states in green that currently offer some form of legal online gambling. We’ll keep this map updated as new states begin to pass other legislation making different kinds of online gambling legal for their residents. Be sure to bookmark this page so you can stay up-to-date with all the upcoming changes.

Breakdown by State

Below, we have included a few lists of states that have legalized online casinos and online sports betting, as well as those that have legalized in-person sports betting at land-based gambling establishments.

Online Casinos and Sports Betting

In addition to the legalization of online casinos, each of these states also offers online sports betting via the website or mobile app. All platforms are regulated and licensed by the gaming commissions or boards within each of these states.

• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Michigan
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• West Virginia

Online Sports Betting

Except for seven states on this list, all of the following states have only legalized online sports betting, but many are working toward including online casino games in future legislation.

• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Nevada (sports betting and online poker)
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Tennessee
• Vermont
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

Sports Betting Only at Retail Locations

The only options available in these states are in-person sports betting locations, many of which are found at commercial or tribal casino locations. Online sports betting and casino gameplay are out.

• Montana
• Mississippi
• New Mexico
• South Dakota
• Washington
• Wisconsin

States Where Online Gambling Is Illegal

Unfortunately, not all states have passed legislation making online gambling legal. While we believe that most states will eventually legalize online gambling, some states have consistently opposed it and may not be inclined to do so. We’ve included a map below of states in red that don’t currently offer any form of legal gambling for their residents. We’ve added information below on some of the more popular states that don’t currently provide legalized online gambling.

Online Casinos

If you aren’t in the following seven states, then you’re in a place where online casino games have not yet been made legal by law.

• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Michigan
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• West Virginia

You don’t have to be a resident of these states to use the regulated casino apps that are allowed within their borders. As long as you are within the state’s borders, the app or website will become active, and you can play your favorite casino games online for real money. Once you leave these states, the app or website will become inactive. This enforcement is carried out using the GPS on your smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device.

Online Sports Betting

Currently, these are the only states that have not legalized online sports betting. These states don’t even allow for sports betting in a physical location. There are a few other states that have a few in-person gambling options, like tribal casinos or cardrooms, but these states largely oppose any form of gambling online.

• Alabama
• Alaska
• California
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Minnesota
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Utah

Overview of US Gambling Laws

In the United States, each state has the authority to determine what kinds of legal gambling operates within its borders and jurisdictions. This means that, across the nation, gambling laws will vary from one state to another. Some states don’t have any forms of legal gambling, while some offer every kind. Then, many states fall between these two extremes.

However, it wasn’t always this way in the United States—there was a time when very few forms of legal gambling existed. For instance, going back 50-100 years, the only forms of gambling that were common were pari-mutuel wagering on horse races and state lotteries. There were several laws back then that restricted certain forms of gambling that took years to be overturned to ultimately pave the way for the legal gambling opportunities you see today in some states.

The Wire Act of 1961

Known as the Federal Wire Act, this law was initially introduced to fight illegal gambling and racketeering. It prohibited individuals involved in betting or wagering from using wire communication facilities to transmit bets or information to place bets across state or international borders. This was initially intended for phones, but it also applied to the internet when it was introduced.

UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) of 2006

This law made it illegal for US banks to process gambling transactions for unregulated gambling activities, putting offshore poker sites in the crosshairs. These platforms were valued at billions of dollars in the early 2000s, when online poker was all the rage, and the US took measures to curtail the growth of the business without killing it off altogether.

The introduction of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act sent shockwaves through the industry, forcing most companies to accept bets out of the US and leaving only privately held companies. Offshore sites continued to take business until April 2011, when the Department of Justice seized the websites of the three major players in the online poker market.

The Repeal of PASPA in 2018

The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was initially introduced in 1992, which prohibited legal sports betting in any state except Nevada. This state had been grandfathered in due to the significant business that sports betting had generated for years at casinos in Las Vegas. A significant push to enact PASPA into law was the rise of sports betting in the US, which occurred in a black-market environment that presented the potential for serious corruption.

PASPA remained in place until 2018 when the state of New Jersey decided to cash in on sports betting. They passed legislation to legalize it in their state in 2016. This legislation was challenged in court for several years after the professional leagues contested it. In fact, the battle went all the way to the Supreme Court, where SCOTUS issued a landmark ruling, deeming PASPA unconstitutional and in violation of states’ rights.

With that decision, PASPA was overturned, and sports betting became legal. The floodgates had been opened, and many states began taking or planning to take sports bets in some form by the end of 2018. In 2025, 29 states now have legal online sports betting, thanks to the overturning of PASPA, which was made possible by New Jersey’s bold move to introduce sports betting within their state borders. States that haven’t made moves to legalize online sports betting have passed legislation to legalize it in person at land-based gaming establishments.

Sports Betting in the United States

Since the repeal of PASPA in 2018, online gambling and sports betting have experienced significant growth. You can see it with the number of states that have passed legislation to make a way for various forms of legal gambling or betting within their borders. It was only a matter of time before online sports betting would take off after the introduction of the smartphone ten years prior. Mobile betting makes it easy for bettors to place wagers from anywhere within a legal state—bettors can enjoy handy features like instant deposit and live in-game betting.

With all the appeal that online sports betting has to offer to online gamblers and punters, it’s no surprise that this industry continues to grow year over year. For instance, 2023 was a significant year for growth in the online sports betting industry, with US revenue reaching a whopping $10.92 billion, which was a 44.5% increase from the previous year (2022). Online sports betting is not only convenient but there are perks like:

• Multiple bet types
• More accurate odds through advanced algorithms and machine learning
• In-game betting options
• A priority on responsible gambling
• The integration of sports broadcasts into live betting environments

Online Casinos in the United States

Online casino gambling isn’t experiencing the same explosive growth as online sports betting across the United States—there are only seven states that allow anyone within their borders to use licensed and regulated online casinos for winning real money. Suppose you aren’t in Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, or West Virginia. In that case, you cannot access a licensed and regulated online casino unless you use an offshore site, which we highly advise against.

Despite the slower movement of states to legalize online casino gaming, land-based casino gaming has a long history in the United States, with the first major piece of the puzzle being the establishment of all forms of legalized public gambling in the state of Nevada in 1931, which paved the way for the development and growth of Las Vegas. This was followed up decades later by the legalization of casino gambling in Atlantic City in the mid-1970s and the rise of tribal gaming establishments in the late 1980s and beyond.

The Importance of Using Regulated Online Casinos and Sportsbooks

Regulated and licensed online casinos and sportsbooks are the best options for US gamblers and bettors; however, they’re not available everywhere across the country. However, they are much safer choices than the unregulated, overseas online casinos and sportsbooks, which don’t offer their US customers any protection when it comes to the data they share with the app or website. US residents can legally join offshore online casinos and sportsbooks (there’s no law against it). Still, they run some significant risks by joining platforms that aren’t licensed and have no commitments to fair gaming practices.

While the options in the US may be limited in terms of regulated and licensed sports betting or casino apps, they offer the safest experience for US gamblers. They are committed to implementing fair gaming and betting practices into their platforms. You don’t receive any such protections using offshore apps or websites because they aren’t subject to US law, although they retain the right to accept US customers.

Blog Section

Check out the blog section at GamblingSites.us to keep informed about what’s going on in the gambling and betting world. These posts can help keep you informed about sports betting, casino games, and the ever-changing legal landscape surrounding gambling. Keep reading to stay in the loop on the industry’s latest developments.

Responsible Gambling

We cannot stress enough the importance of responsible gambling practices and the crucial role they play in delivering the best outcomes for online casino gameplay and sports betting sessions. It’s always best to stay away from problem gambling behaviors and to remain in complete control of your gambling bankroll. Online gambling should be centered around leisure and having fun, not based on compulsive, unhealthy behaviors that can lead to major problems, including addiction.

Check out the following resources and self-help tools to stay accountable to your gambling budget and goals:

• National Problem Gambling Helpline: 1-800-522-4700
• National Council on Problem Gambling: www.ncpgambling.org
• National Council on Problem Gambling: 1-202-547-9204
• International Center for Responsible Gambling: www.icrg.org
• Responsible Gambling Council: +1 (416) 499-9800
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: 1-800-662-4357
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

However, we can provide you with even more resources for responsible gambling. These are just contacts for getting help, but there are many other tools available that you could use to your advantage if you’re struggling with a problem or addiction. Check out some of the following support groups that work wonders for keeping you accountable to your gambling goals:

• Gamblers Anonymous: This 12-step program for recovering gamblers is available only to people who desire to overcome their addiction and bad habits. Check out www.gamblersanonymous.org.
• Gam-Anon: A support group for the loved ones of problem gamblers, where they can get encouragement from others.
• Gam-A-Teen: A support group for the children of problem gamblers where they can get encouragement from others.
• The National Council on Problem Gambling: Independent of the gambling industry, the NCPG advocates for problem gamblers, their families, and children. Visit www.ncpgambling.org to access treatment information and find counselors nationwide.
• National Problem Gambling Helpline Network: This hotline is run by the National Council on Problem Gambling. Call 800-522-4700 to access local resources to help you with your gambling addiction.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: This is a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services. It’s a treatment referral service for gamblers with serious addictions. Call 1-800-662-4357 or visit www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline.

In addition to the hotlines and support groups mentioned above, another significant responsible gambling tool is available: the self-exclusion list. This accountability feature is offered by most online casinos or sports betting apps. They’re a list that gamblers can add themselves to voluntarily that will ban them from online gambling platforms of their choice for a set period. Self-exclusion is a powerful tool that can keep gamblers from participating at all in casino gameplay or sports betting to ensure they don’t slip into a gambling problem or addiction.

Best Practices for Responsible Gamblers

• Set money and time limits on your gambling sessions.
• Use a conservative bet size for each wager or stake (no more than 1-2% of your available capital).
• Never use money that you can’t afford to lose.
• Don’t be afraid to seek help if needed with gambling addictions or problems—use support groups, hotlines, and self-exclusion forms to your advantage.

FAQ

Explore some of the most frequently asked questions we’ve received from our readers and customers over time regarding legal gambling in the United States and its status.