US Sports Betting Statistics (2026)

How Many States Have Legal Sports Betting?

As of August 2026, our tracking shows 32 US jurisdictions with legal online sports betting (31 states plus Washington DC), 8 states with retail-only betting where wagers must be placed in person, and 11 states with no legal sports betting of any kind. Weighted by population, roughly 61% of Americans (about 206 million of 340 million people) live in a state where betting from a phone is legal. Every state has its own page with regulators, launch details, and available apps, see the full state map.

Retail-only states: Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin. No legal betting: Alabama, Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah.

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How Big Is the US Sports Betting Market?

Americans legally wagered $166.9 billion on sports in 2025, an increase of 11.0% over the $149.9 billion bet in 2024, according to the American Gaming Association. Sportsbook operators kept $16.96 billion of that as revenue (up 22.8%), and paid $3.71 billion in state gaming taxes, up 32.4% year over year. Sports betting is the fastest-growing segment of a US commercial gaming industry that generated $78.7 billion overall in 2025.

The largest markets by volume are New York, Illinois, and New Jersey. Growth now comes less from new bettors and more from new states (Missouri launched in December 2025), rising hold percentages, and product expansion. For context on the unregulated side, the AGA estimates illegal and offshore operators still take in about $53.9 billion a year.

Prediction Markets: the New Variable

Federally regulated prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket now offer sports event contracts in most states, operating under CFTC oversight rather than state gaming licenses. The AGA estimates these platforms have diverted more than $500 million in potential state sports betting tax revenue, and trading volume on Super Bowl LX contracts alone topped $1.6 billion. Whether these count as betting is now the central regulatory fight in US gaming. Our prediction markets guide explains how they work and where they are available.

College Player Prop Restrictions

Not every legal state allows every bet. Our prop rules tracker shows 14 states ban college player props outright and 13 restrict them (for example, allowing props only on out-of-state teams or tournament play). NCAA pressure has pushed several states to tighten these rules since 2024.

Key Milestones

May 2018: the Supreme Court strikes down PASPA, returning betting regulation to the states. June 2018: New Jersey and Delaware take the first legal wagers outside Nevada. 2021 to 2023: the biggest expansion wave, including the New York mobile launch in January 2022. 2024: North Carolina and Vermont launch mobile betting. December 2025: Missouri becomes the newest online state. April 2026: Wisconsin becomes the 33rd state to legalize online betting, with launch still pending. 2026: attention shifts to the holdout states, Texas, Georgia, California and Minnesota, plus the prediction market fight. Follow every development on our legalization tracker.

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