Who will be the next states to legalize sports betting?

Vermont and North Carolina are widely expected to be the next US states to launch mobile sports betting. It’s just part of a wave of deregulation that is bringing sports betting to more Americans than ever before. While legal challenges have affected the roll-out of mobile betting in Florida, Oklahoma and Maine, hopes are high that even these states could join in the US sports betting revolution by the end of 2025.

More states expected to legalize sports betting soon 

Dozens of states across the US have legalized sports betting since PASPA was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2018. What started in New Jersey has become a groundswell with states like Massachusetts, Maryland and now Kentucky all letting residents play at licensed sportsbooks.

As such, there remains a huge amount of speculation about which states will be next to join the list. Hopes are high that North Carolina and Vermont could be next in line as both states have legalized sports betting in 2023.

It usually takes around six months for the legal framework to be set down and for legal sportsbooks to launch, but there’s every chance that sports fans in these two states could be legally betting on sport by the turn of 2024.

The race to introduce mobile betting to Vermont and North Carolina 

Vermont is surrounded by states that have already legalized sports betting with the activity already proving to be hugely popular everywhere from New York and New Hampshire to Massachusetts.

The Green Mountain State passed its sports legislation in June 2023, and efforts are now underway for mobile sports betting to go live in early 2024. While Vermont has a relatively small population size, it will be yet another US state that allows legal sports betting.

While North Carolina legalized sports betting a while ago, it is taking some time to push through its legislation. This means that sports betting is still limited to in-person wagering at the physical sportsbooks in three of the state’s tribal casinos. However, there could be as many as 12 online sportsbooks operating in the Tar Heel state once it goes live at some point between January and June 2024.

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Maine, Florida and Oklahoma facing legal obstacles 

Mobile sports betting is expected to come to Maine at some point in 2024. The activity was actually legalized in May 2022, but it has faced numerous obstacles in becoming a reality. Once the mechanisms are in place, sports betting will only be available by one of the state’s tribal operators.

It’s a fairly similar picture down in Florida where there has been a tussle between the state authorities and the Seminole Tribe over how sports betting will be legislated. For a time there was a complete breakdown in the ability for sports betting in Florida, but hopes are high that betting might be up and running again in the coming months.

This would once again see all forms of mobile betting taking place exclusively through the Hard Rock app, while in-person betting has to take place at one of the Seminole Tribe’s eight casinos in the state. However, there are plans to open up mobile sports betting in the Sunshine State and there is the potential for competitive sportsbooks to launch in Florida as soon as 2025.

Oklahoma faces the same challenges as Florida in that all forms of gambling are controlled by tribal organizations, and recent efforts to amend the situation were revoked earlier this year.

Similarly, an effort to open up sports betting in Minnesota stalled in 2023, but there are plans underway to submit a new bill in early 2024. Other states who are currently facing a tough challenge in legalizing sports betting include Missouri, Texas and California.

Conclusion – The unstopped rise of legal sports betting

There is a prevailing trend of states all across the US to legalize mobile sports betting. In 2024, both Vermont and North Carolina should join the list of states who have a competitive sports betting scene, and hopes are high that Florida, Maine and Oklahoma can soon overcome their legal obstacles to join the fray.

Of course, all eyes will be on the massive states of California and Texas to finally legalize sports betting. However, there remain a number of significant legal issues to overcome before this is a reality.

While this may be frustrating, there is no denying the fact that sports betting is now a normal activity across the majority of the US. With everywhere from New Hampshire to Arizona now legalizing mobile betting, it’s surely only a matter of time before more states join in the action.