Sports betting has come a long way since it was first made legal. It's practically astounding the way that rapidly such countless states have moved to make sports wagering lawfully. However, not all states are there yet, and not all states have the same betting regulations. Everything continues to be largely state-by-state. Keeping this in mind, let's take a closer look at the states where betting is legal and the timeline of when sports betting has been legal in the United States over the past few years.
All of this began in 2011 when New Jerseyans approved a constitutional amendment that made sports betting legal for the state Legislature. The following year, the NCAA and a number of professional sports leagues filed a lawsuit claiming that New Jersey was in violation of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). In the end, the case ended up before the Supreme Court, which decided that PASPA was against the Constitution. Several states began making preparations to legalize sports betting shortly after that ruling was issued in 2018, even before it became law.
In June 2018, Delaware and New Jersey turned into the primary states to authorize sports wagering beyond Nevada, which was already the main state where it was legitimate far reaching. By the end of 2018, sports betting was legal in Mississippi, West Virginia, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, bringing the total to eight states at the end of the year.
In 2019, sports betting became legal in Montana, Iowa, New York, Arkansas, New Hampshire, Oregon, Indiana, and Colorado, adding to that list. The following two or three years unfurled likewise with additional states committing. On January 1, 2023, Ohio turned into the 31st state to present legitimate games wagering, excluding Washington DC Notwithstanding the states previously referenced, sports wagering is right now lawful in Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming
In any case, the rundown of states with lawful games wagering won't remain at 31 for a really long time. Maine is set to send off legitimate games wagering in either the final quarter of 2023 or the primary quarter of 2024. Moreover, Kentucky, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Florida have all passed regulations to legitimize sports wagering, in spite of the fact that stages are not yet functional in those states. A few different states, including California, Texas, and Vermont, have given serious to legitimizing sports wagering too. In point of fact, sports betting has only been considered legal in a small number of states by state Legislatures.
As referenced, few out of every odd state has similar regulations relating to sports wagering. For example, Delaware, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Washington don't permit portable wagering, which has turned into a famous road for bettors. A few states have attempted to restrict sports wagering to brick and mortar stores and ancestral gambling clubs. However, sports betting is now legal in some form in the majority of states. More states will add stages soon and, surprisingly, more are thinking about legitimizing sports wagering. As a result, legal sports betting is still in its infancy.