Four years have passed since the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on sports betting, allowing states to legalize it if they wish. Now 23 States accept mobile betting with multiple options, and 32 States + DC states have regulated betting in some form. This gives sports fans more control and flexibility over what wagers they make, what games they bet on, and when they do it.
Once US states decide to legalize online sports betting, they then begin issuing sportsbook licenses. This also brings in some additional revenue for the state budgets. The second quarter of 2023 is expected to see several online sportsbooks start offering mobile betting apps, with Massachusetts, Texas, and maybe Georgia as possible legal betting states.
Top Sports Betting Deals – Best Free Bets Promo
Every online sports betting site entices new players to sign up for their service via a welcome bonus offer. Here’s a look at some of the top offers currently available from the leading US online sports betting houses:
| Online Sports Betting Promotion | Best Betting Sign-up Offer |
| betMGM | Free First Bet up to $1,000 |
| BetRivers | Second Chance Bet up to $500 and $100 for New York |
| Caesars Sportsbook | Claim up to $1250 in Free Bets as New Customer |
| DraftKings | First Deposit Match Sportsbook Promo up to $1,000 + Free Bet |
| bet365 | Get $200 in Free Bets, min bet is $1. NJ, CO, OH. Prelaunch Free Bet $100 for Virginia during 2023. |
| FanDuel | Bet Insurance of up to $1,000 for AZ, CT, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, and WY. |
| Unibet | $100 Risk-Free Bet and $500 Bonus Bet for PA |
| Borgata | 100% Deposit Offer up to $1,000 + $20 FreePlay Credits on Sign Up |
| WynnBet | Bet $100 & Get a $50 Free Bet + $50 Casino Bonus (NJ), Win Tickets (NY), $100 in Free Bet (Indiana) |
| SBK Bet | up to $100 in free bet if the first stake loses (Colorado) |
US Legal Gambling and Sports Betting States
Maryland recently became the 31st US state to launch legal and regulated sports betting and the 22nd to offer online wagering through websites and mobile sports betting apps.
States with Legal Online Casino
Those states offering online casino games are significantly shorter and include; Delaware, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. New candidates for legal online casinos for 2023 are New York, Massachusetts, and Indiana.
States with Legal Sports Betting
Sports betting is legal in the USA, but each state sets its own rules. Currently, 23 states have allowed their residents to place bets on games, and 3 states are not yet operational. These states are Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts (Spring 2023), Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio (NEW), Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington DC, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
*Legal and Live State: Sports betting is legally offered through retail and/or online sportsbooks.
**Legal but not operational: States have legalized sports betting but not yet launched.
***Active Legislation: Bills or a ballot initiative to legalize sports betting have been pre-filed/introduced/voter referendum planned.
American States Expected to launch online sports betting in 2023
American states with an active legislation/ballot Initiative in 2023 and other states expected to launch mobile sports betting during 2023. Massachusetts is anticipating a late January launch for retail sportsbooks, with online and mobile sports betting expected to be launched in March. Missouri, Kentucky, and Oklahoma are the most likely candidates for a sports betting launch this year; the wildcards are Texas and North Carolina. Florida’s sports betting launch is still on hold till the court case is settled; a conclusion is expected in late 2023.
- Massachusetts (Retail launch in January and online sportsbooks in March 2023),
- Missouri
- Kentucky
- North Carolina,
- Oklahoma and
- Texas.
Maryland Sports Betting is now legal
Maryland sports betting is now live after launch in November 2022. Claim the best Maryland sportsbook promotions from top sportsbooks to bet more with less of your own money. There are a good number of sportsbooks already launched in the states, such as BetRivers, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook and DraftKings.
Ohio Sports Betting is now legal in 2023
Legalized online sports betting in Ohio is live as of January 1, 2023. Several sportsbooks are already live such as bet365, betMGM, Caesars, BetRivers and more. Bettors can expect up to 15 online sportsbooks to choose from within the first few months of 2023 and 10 more to be added during the first year. Make sure to visit our online sports betting Ohio page and get access to the best bonus offers in the state.
Massachusetts Sports Betting Launch
MA Governor Charlie Baker signed August 10, 2022, the Massachusetts Sports Wagering Act. First retail sports betting is now live since the 31st of January, 2023, with Online sportsbooks and mobile apps to be available in March 2023. Soon fans of the Patriots, Celtics, Boston Red Sox, and Bruins will be able to wager on their favorite team. The first sportsbooks expected to go live are market leaders such as PointsBet, BetRivers, and BetRivers.
Texas Legal Sports Betting
Texas tried to legalize sports betting in 2021, but the attempt fell short in the end. The state legislature only holds sessions in odd-numbered years, meaning 2023 is the next opportunity. The Lone Star State has historically opposed gambling, as can be witnessed by the lack of any casinos or horse racing betting within state borders.
List of Legal US Sportsbooks:
- Bally Bet
- Barstool
- bet365 in CO, OH and NJ
- Betfred
- betJACK Ohio
- BetMGM
- Betly
- betPARX
- Betr app
- BetRivers
- BetSafe CO
- Betway
- Caesars Sportsbook
- Circa Sportsbook
- Clutchbet
- DraftKings
- Fanatics
- FanDuel
- Gamewise
- Hard Rock Sportsbook
- PlayEagle Michigan
- PlayUp
- PointsBet
- Prophet Exchange
- SaharaBets Arizona
- SBK
- SportsTrade NJ
- SuperBook
- Tipico
- Underdog
- Unibet
- WynnBet
Popular Bet Types at US Online Sportsbooks
Bet types at online sports betting sites are divided into straight exotic wagers. Straight bets include moneylines. These are winning bets on events. If the team or player wins, so do you.
Point spreads are also popular straight bets. With this wager, bettors are getting or giving points. If an NFL game is listed as Philadelphia -7 over Washington, that means if you bet the Eagles, they must win by more than 7 points. Wager on the Commanders and if they win or lose by less than a converted touchdown, your bet cashes.
The total, or the over/under, is the other key straight bet. A points, runs or goals total is established by oddsmakers on a game. Bettors wager on whether the two teams will combine to go over or under that total.
Exotic wagers include parlays. This is a bet combining several plays into one bet. All legs of a parlay must come in for the bet to cash. Parlays offer the chance to win big from a small stake.
Player, game and team props are wagers on events occurring during a game. It could be on how many passes a quarterback will complete, or which team will score the first goal of a game.
Future bets cover long-range plays, such as which team will win the World Series or which golfer will win the Masters. Like parlays, a small stake can result in a big score.
Live betting is a newer and increasingly popular form of sports betting. Also called in-play wagering, bettors are getting action on events as they unfold during the game. It could be a bet on which team scores next, or which player catches the next pass.
Major US Sport Betting Events
The biggest annual sporting event in the USA is the Super Bowl. The championship game of the NFL is also the biggest single sports betting event of the year, pulling in excess of $150 million each year. It’s often referred to in the industry as sports betting Christmas.
The NFL is the king of sports betting in the United States. Over the course of the season, an estimated $100 billion is wagered on NFL games in the USA.
Another hugely popular betting event in the USA is March Madness. The NCAA Men’s basketball tournament is three weeks of all-out win or go-home action and that intensity spills over into wagering action. According to Statista.com, $3.1 billion was bet on March Madness in 2022.
College football is also massively popular from a betting standpoint, from the regular season, to the bowl games, to the College Football Playoff for the national championship. Conservative estimates are that $1 billion is bet every year on NCAA football.
Between $500 million and $1 billion is bet every year on the NBA. MLB and the NHL aren’t quite as popular from a betting standpoint as these other sports, but still do well. Baseball bettors like the fact that there are games to bet on virtually every day of the season.
Other North American sports that draw wagering action include tennis, golf, auto racing, boxing, MMA/UFC and soccer. Golf majors such as the Masters, US Open and PGA, the US Open tennis Grand Slam event and marquee auto races such as the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 will prove popular with bettors.
What new customer bonus to expect from online sportsbooks
When legal sports betting sites are up and running in US, new customers will receive a lucrative bonus offer – thanks to the relatively low tax on companies’ revenues (except for NY and PA). When signing up for a sportsbook, look for the welcome promotions such as: 100% deposit match, bet $10, get X5, Free Bet and more types of betting offers available.
Is the referrer code the same as the bonus code?
Yes, in the US online sportsbooks will sometimes use the referrer (referral) code instead of the bonus or promo code. Typically, the code is inserted on the registration page during sign-up or when new customers make their first deposit. Check out promo codes for BetMGM and Pointsbet.
Are online casinos legal in USA? What sites can I use ?
NJ is the first state in the US to allow online casinos and sports betting. So, yes, expect BetMGM, bet365 and other sites and mobile apps (for Android and iOS) to offer slots and popular casino games such as roulette and blackjack. Check out the list of the best online casinos to expect in US in 2023.