Which US state could be the next to legalize sports betting?

The sports betting landscape in the United States has changed considerably over the last few years, with 39 states having legalized this form of gambling since 2018.

Prior to 2018, sports betting was illegal in the U.S., but a Supreme Court decision changed this, and a booming industry has since begun.

It was seven years ago when it was ruled that each state would have the authority to legalize sports betting, which has caused some to quickly adopt the industry, while others are still lagging behind. The most recent addition was by Missouri, which became the 39th state to allow sportsbook operators in, but the question is: who is next, if any?

Which states have legalized sports betting in the United States already?

The Show-Me state legalized sports betting in November 2024, with the measure taking effect from December 1, 2025, making it the latest to adopt the quickly growing industry.

Alongside Missouri, the other states to legalize sports betting include: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington (and Washington DC), West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

What are the remaining states’ stances on sports betting?

According to the American Gaming Association, nearly three-quarters (74%) of Americans support legal, regulated sports betting in their state, with broad bipartisan approval. And the market is said to be worth a whopping $18.5BN as an estimation, although not all state regulators agree with legalizing the industry.

In California, which is one of the most populous states without legal sports betting, there have now been multiple ballot initiatives (most recently from 2022) that have been overwhelmingly defeated. In the state, Native American tribes operate most of the gambling, which is where there has been some opposition previously.

Which state could be most likely to legalize sports wagering? 

While only a couple of states have made little to no effort on the subject (such as Utah and Idaho), others are making slow progress with bills or are expected to do so in the future.

Alaska, for example, is appearing to be gaining some (slow) traction as the state that could legalize sports wagering, but there is still a very long way to go. House Bill 145 was introduced earlier in the year and would see mobile sports wagering authorized if it were to be passed.

This relates to the regulation of mobile sports wagering and imposing a tax on this revenue. In March, it was referred to Labor & Commerce and is currently sitting at a 25% progression. At the time, Representative David Nelson shared his sponsor statement, which explained why he was pushing for the bill: “Alaska needs more diverse sources of revenue. Legalizing sports wagering is a simple solution that would capture a market that already exists in this state.

‘Every day people are betting in Alaska using illegal means, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation while generating no fiscal benefit to the state.”

While the bill will bring further discussions around a potential regulation of the industry, there hasn’t been an update in quite a while regarding the attempt, as it didn’t advance in the 2025 session.

Hawaii and Oklahoma are two states that are also showing promise for sports betting operators. In Hawaii, the House Bill 1308 was introduced earlier this year, which advanced through the ranks, but it stalled when House and Senate negotiators were unable to resolve key disagreements.

Again, the bill failed to make it before the legislative deadline, but that’s not to say a similar one could be introduced in the 2026 legislative session.

Over in Oklahoma, two House bills proved to be promising, but they didn’t advance as they failed to get a vote before the deadlines. The state does appear to have discussed the topic several times over the last year.

With this in mind, Hawaii, Oklahoma, and potentially Alaska do look like they could be the next candidates for legalizing sports betting in the US.

Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram

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