Billions of people in the world are following some sort of sport every single day. Indeed, the male population is more passionate about soccer, basketball, tennis, or any other sport. But, you can also find ladies that are regularly following games and matches of individuals and different teams.
Generally speaking, following sports is a form of entertainment that most people use for relaxation. But, things can be much more interesting if you decide to gamble a little.
Sports gambling in the United States is a confusing topic that most people do not precisely understand. Tourists that come to the USA often get confused that they can bet on sports in one state while in the other one something like that is completely illegal. Even residents of the country are not quite sure what they can or can’t do.
Because of that, we are pretty sure that you all want to educate yourself and ensure that you are not breaking the law. Sports gambling can bring you money, but that’s not the main reason why people decide to test their luck and skills. They are doing that to ensure additional excitement and relaxation from the tough week at work. Imagine how annoying it can be to enjoy something that is illegal.
That is the reason why we decided to share some things to know about the legality of sports betting in the USA. We hope that things will be much easier to understand after this article. Let’s go!
Table of Contents
In Some States, Sports Gambling Is Partly Illegal
Source: kentuckyghosts.com
Okay, here comes something that you all need to understand. There is a big difference between retail/traditional sports betting and online sports betting. Believe it or not, in some states, online betting is illegal while you can bet on sports in some of the bookmakers you can find within the major towns.
For the purpose of this article, we will use Mississippi as an example. If you want to make your passion even more entertaining online, something like that would be illegal. But, on the other hand, retail sports betting is completely legal. Because of that, you can visit land-based bookmakers and place a bet in this state.
On the other hand, there is a completely opposite regulation when we talk about Tennessee. If you live in that state, you can sports gamble online without any restrictions. However, if you plan to go in person to place a bet, something like that will not be acceptable. More precisely, you won’t find any land-based bookmakers as retail sports gambling is illegal within the state.
However, There Are Also States that Are Making Progress
Source: unsplash.com
We will not talk here about official statistics as they are different from one state to another where sports gambling is legal. But, you could already imagine how this business field influences the economy of each state and the entire country. The revenue of sports betting is huge, and most states in the US are aware of that. That is the reason why responsible authorities have decided to change some things.
It seems that things are going to change next year a lot. Maryland, for instance, announced that online betting, as well as retail sports gambling, will become completely legal next year. How this business field is going to be regulated is something we are yet to find out. Almost identical thing counts for Maine. We are not pretty sure whether things will change next year, but, for now, it is most likely that changes of the gambling law will appear next year.
New York and Texas are also interesting states that we have to mention in this article. While traditional sports gambling is completely legal in New York state, the responsible authorities announced that gambling laws related to online betting will update in 2024. On the other hand, it seems that Texas will fully legalize sports gambling pretty soon and you will manage to place bets on NBA matches with no obstacles. Currently, you can’t place a bet in this state, but we already know some of the best sports betting sites where people could do such as thing. The reason for that is simple – there are some offshore sports betting sites where you can do that.
(source: https://www.basketballinsiders.com/tx/)
There Is Also a Gray Zone in Some States
Source: focusgn.com
Under this subheading, we certainly need to highlight North Dakota as one of the states where gambling is operating in the gray area. For example, online sports gambling is completely illegal. The residents of this state won’t manage to open an account in some of the betting sites that are from South Dakota.
On the other hand, retail sports betting is legal, but many things are still unclear. Because of that, many people will say that traditional gambling is operating in the grey zone. But, as you see, most states and countries around the globe are adapting to a new method of gambling. Because of that, we are pretty sure the responsible authorities within the state will upgrade the set of laws that will fully legalize and regulate this type of sports gambling.
So, How to Be Good at Sports Betting in the USA?
img source: telegraph.co.uk
After you determine which form of sports gambling is legal in your state, there are multiple things you will have to do to become a successful sports bettor. No one says that you have to become a professional, but it is essential to take some steps that will protect you from any major losses.
For starters, you always need to have in mind how much money you can spend on an activity like this. Keep in mind that the main reason why you are betting on sports is entertainment. Would you spend more money in a restaurant or club than you can? Then, there is no reason to do something like that here as well.
After you determine that, you need to determine the sports or leagues you will bet on. It is recommendable that you bet only on those leagues that you are regularly following. When you gain all the necessary information, it will be much easier to predict the outcome of the match and potentially earn some money. But, if you don’t establish to do that, you won’t have to worry if the bets were reasonable.
