What States Are Next To Legalize Sports Betting?

All across the country, states are legalizing sports betting at a rapid pace. There are over a dozen states that have already made the jump into the sports betting industry, and several more are ready to do so in the upcoming year. 

It’s time to take a look at what states are going to join the sports betting industry in 2020, and what states are lined up and ready to launch.

States who have already launched sports betting in the United States have seen tremendous success in the first few months. Sportsbooks are popping up all across the United States, and betting companies are looking forward to more states legalizing sports betting in the next few months. 

Why Are States Legalizing Sports Betting?

Before taking a look at some of the states ready to launch sports betting, or that are ready to legalize sports betting, it’s important to know why all of this is happening. There are a number of reasons to legalize sports betting, but there are three main factors driving the legalization of sports betting. 

Increased Revenue: Money is the number one factor that is behind the legalization of sports betting, and states want to get their share of that money. States have their own and different uses for that money, but the increased revenue can help solve some of their financial troubles. 

Sports betting can bring in a ton of money, especially in the states that have a great sports tradition. 

Professional Sports Want It Done: Professional sports leagues have been worried about betting on their sports for a long time, but that has started to change of late. Professional sports leagues have started to embrace sports betting, and they are now trying to get ahead of the game. 

Professional leagues are now trying to get states to legalize sports betting, and they are starting to form partnerships with major companies from the sports betting industry.

Popularity of Sports Betting: One of the biggest reasons that states are legalizing sports betting is because sports betting has become extremely popular throughout the country. Sports betting is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, and states are not able to avoid the conversation, even if they didn’t want to discuss it. 

Ready to Launch in 2020

These six states have already legalized sports betting and will be launching at some point in 2020. Some of these states have already launched sports betting including at Centsports, but it will continue to grow. Other states on this list will take their first legal bets at some point in 2020. 

Colorado: Colorado left the decision up to the voters in the state, and they narrowly passed legalizing sports betting. The state will have remote locations to offer sports betting, but it’s a start, and things should grow quickly. 

Illinois: Illinois legalized sports betting in June 2019, but it has taken it a long time to get things underway. The state of Illinois has started to take applications for sports betting licenses, but it’s unclear when things will go live.

Michigan: Sports betting is up and running in the state of Michigan, but things are expected to grow at a rapid rate in 2020. Michigan will have mobile/online betting up and running before the end of the year, and new sportsbooks are starting to emerge.

Montana: State officials in Montana have started to accept applications for sports betting licenses, but it’s unclear when things will officially get underway. It’s been a slow process in Montana, but it got the hard part of legalizing sports betting out of the way. 

North Carolina: Sports betting is legal and launched in the state of North Carolina, but there are currently just two locations that are able to take bets. The Tribal communities have control of the sports betting industry in the Tar Heel State, and that keeps things pretty limited. 

Lawmakers and government officials are working to increase the options, but it has been a slow-moving process. 

Tennessee: Tennessee doesn’t have any casinos, but it has legalized mobile/online betting. Things are up and running in the Volunteer State, but it is on an extremely limited basis up to this point. 

There is a possibility that retail sportsbooks could be built throughout the state, but it doesn’t seem imminent. 

Looking to Legalize in 2020

Almost every single state that has yet to legalize sports betting is in discussions to get that done, but some are much closer than others. The states listed below have shown some progress in their efforts to legalize sports betting, and it very well could happen for each of them in 2020. 

Maryland/D.C.: Things appear to be heading in the right direction in the state of Maryland and the Washington D.C. area. Professional sports teams in the D.C. area have partnered with some major sports betting companies, and the state of Maryland has had several discussions about getting a sports betting bill legalized. This will be one of the states to keep an eye on in 2020.

California: Lawmakers in California have introduced a few sports betting bills over the last few years, and they have had some preliminary discussions at the beginning of 2020. There are plenty of hurdles that will have to be overcome, but professional leagues are doing their best to help support the cause in California. 

Maine: Maine passed a sports betting bill in the middle of 2019, but the governor has yet to take any action on the issue. Janet Mills is the governor in the state, and it doesn’t appear that she is going to sign it. Lawmakers will have the opportunity to pass a new bill, and you can expect that the issue won’t go away anytime soon. 

Florida: Just as recently as last year, it looked as if sports betting was never going to be legalized in the Sunshine State. The Seminole Tribe controls the gambling industry in Florida, but it has started to warm up to the idea of legalizing sports betting. Nothing appears imminent in Florida, but at least discussions are taking place.