States With Sports Betting

Sports Betting In Nevada

Nevada has been a state with legal gambling since the 1930’s. Lawmakers fully legalized sports betting in the late 40’s, and since then, Nevada has pretty much been the only place in the US with legal, regulated sports betting. In Nevada, only casinos and stand-alone betting shops can host sportsbooks. Bars and taverns cannot offer sports betting action. These land-based sportsbooks do have corresponding online sites that players can use, however, so there’s no stopping you from walking into a bar and using the casino’s sports betting app.

What Cities In Nevada Have Sportsbooks?

Sports betting is legal throughout the state, so technically any city in Nevada could offer sports betting. The three cities with a large number of sportsbooks, however, are Las Vegas, Reno, and Henderson, with a few in Spotlight and other remote areas. Las Vegas has an excess of over 60 sports betting operations inside their casinos and is far and away the largest sports betting city in Nevada. Reno has a handful owned by casino corporations that are also based in Vegas.

Wager Types Available At Nevada Sportsbooks

Nevada is the only state that is allowed to offer single-game wagering in the US at land-based, state-licensed facilities. Because of this, the wager types available at Nevada sportsbooks are practically limitless. You have your choice of simple straight bets, like moneylines, spreads, and totals. But then you also have the choice of pleasers or teasers, round robins, and parlays. Propositions, futures, and specials are also available for nearly every event. Game specific wagers, like first five innings for baseball or first period for hockey are all available as well. The variety of wager types available depend on the popularity of the game and the sport, but generally, Nevada will be able to offer a number of different wager types to choose from.

Sports Betting In Delaware

Delaware is the only other state with legal land-based sports betting at this time. In 1976, Delaware legalized NFL parlays of three or more teams through the lottery. It lasted for a year before it was discontinued. By the time PASPA rolled around, Delaware still had the law on the books and was thus grandfathered into the law. It wasn’t until 2009 that the state revived its sports betting. Now, racetracks and casinos can offer variations of parlays during the NFL season only.

What Cities In Delaware Have Sportsbooks?

There are three cities in Delaware that have sportsbooks available. They are located at the three racetracks in the state. Dover Downs in Dover, Harrington Raceway & Casino in Harrington, and Delaware Park Racetrack in Wilmington.

Dover Downs Hotel & Casino
1131 N Dupont Hwy, Dover, DE 19901

Harrington Raceway & Casino
18500 S Dupont Hwy, Harrington, DE 19952

Delaware Park Racetrack
777 Delaware Park Blvd, Wilmington, DE 19804

Wager Types Available At Delaware Sportsbooks

Delaware sports betting is limited to just three or more team parlay cards during the NFL season. Parlays can consist of bets made on point spreads, totals, and moneylines to determine a winning card, and can contain anywhere from 3 to 12 contingencies. Delaware’s parlay cards are offered at the three racetrack casinos in the state.

Sports Betting Laws In The United States

As we touched on above in the opener, the major laws that restrict land-based sports betting in the U.S. come from the federal courts. Below, we are going to talk a little more about those laws briefly, starting with the law that has the biggest impact on land-based sports wagering. Before we get started, it should be known that each state currently regulating sports gambling has its own laws that determine what types of wagers are permitted, the age to bet on sports, and more. If you don’t find what you are looking for here, then please check our guides for individual U.S. states for further assistance.

The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992

PASPA, otherwise known as the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, is a federal law that prevents states from regulating sports betting. The law was passed in 1992, at which time there were four states that had already legalized gambling on sports in one form or another. PASPA was altered to grandfather those states in (Nevada, Delaware, Montana & Oregon) and allow what they had already legalized, but nothing more. This federal law is what prevents states from being able to create legislation that would legalize sports betting, and has been the subject of several lawsuits alleging the law is unconstitutional.

The Federal Wire Act of 1961

An antiquated law passed in the early 1960’s, the Federal Wire Act was put in place to inhibit the bookmaking abilities of organized crime families in the U.S. Essentially, the Wire Act made the electronic transmission of any information related to making a wager across state lines illegal, but only for the businesses and bookmaking operations accepting the wager. At the time of its passage, the only forms of electronic communication were telegraph or telephone, but as technology has advanced with the advent of the internet, using a computer or similar devices have also been included by the U.S. Department of Justice. It should be noted, however, the Wire Act does nothing to prevent regulated offshore betting sites from taking wagers from US residents.