It's been just over five years since PASPA was overturned by the Supreme Court. The High Court's ruling in the "Murphy vs. NCAA" case cleared the way for legalized sports betting nationwide. 

It has expanded at a dizzying pace and now includes some enormous markets. For instance, Ohio launched sports betting on January 1, while Massachusetts started betting at three casinos on January 31 (mobile betting kicked off on March 10 with six sportsbooks). 

Bay State bettors were prolific. In May, Massachusetts had the highest handle per capita of any state that launched post-PASPA after New York.

The launch of sports betting in Ohio and Massachusetts capped a whirlwind 18 months in the legal online sports betting world. 

In addition to those two states, New York, Louisiana, Kansas, Ontario, and Maryland have launched retail and/or online betting since the start of 2022.

According to the American Gaming Association, sports betting is now legal and operational in 34 states, plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.

Which states will be next to launch legal betting apps? Several states are in the process of trying to legalize sports betting or have already given it the green light but are waiting to implement sports betting. 

North Carolina, Kentucky, and Vermont have all legalized betting this year. 

Efforts to legalize betting fell short in Texas, Missouri, Minnesota and Georgia this legislative year, for various reasons. We should note that it typically takes about six months to a year for a state to launch legal sports betting once it's legalized, given the regulatory hangups. 

With that in mind, here is a look at our hypothetical odds on which states will launch legal online sports betting* in the next calendar year?

Odds to Launch Online Sports Betting In Next 12 Months

*Some states have legalized sports betting, but have yet to implement it and some have implemented it in-person only.

States Closest to Launching Sports Betting

Kentucky:  -10000

Kentucky sports betting will launch in September in two stages. Retail betting goes lives on Sept. 7, which is the first day of the NFL season. Mobile betting will launch on Sept. 28. The dates were announced Monday (July 10) as the state also approved the bulk of the regulations necessary to oversee betting. The push for betting in Kentucky accelerated once Ohio went online in January. As a result, Kentucky joined the list of states that have legalized sports betting in late March, beating the buzzer on the last day of the legislative session. 

House Bill 551 passed the Senate by a vote of 25-12 and was quickly signed into law by Gov. Andy Beshear. 

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Vermont: -5000

Vermont was the last of the six New England states to legalize sports betting. It is surrounded by states (New York, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts) that allow online betting. 

Vermont will be among the smallest legal betting jurisdictions in the U.S. Just this week, a digital-only sports betting bill passed was signed by Gov. Phil Scott on June 14. The head of the state's gambling regulatory agency said her goal is to have betting operational by NFL Kickoff on Sept. 7.

North Carolina: -5000

Right now, North Carolina sports betting is limited to in-person wagering at three tribal casinos. That will soon change after a new law legalized sports betting and parimutuel horse racing off Tribal lands. 

As many as 12 online skins would be issued and the state would collect a 14% tax on net revenues. The go-live date written into the NC sports betting bill is Jan. 8, which is the same day as the College Football National Championship. The latest sports betting can go live is a year from the day the law was signed.  

Maine: -2500

Sports betting became the law of the land in Maine on May 2, 2022. But the process to get it operational has been a slog. Still, officials have been saying that a Maine sports betting launch is likely to happen in 2024. Betting will be exclusive to the state’s Native American tribes once it begins. 

The holdup in Maine is a matter of personnel. There are just two people on the state's payroll responsible for reading all the public comment on the new law. 

Maine is the only state in the U.S. that is bordered by just one other state. (Alaska and Hawaii have none). Maine’s lone contiguous neighbor, New Hampshire, has had legal online betting since 2019. Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820. Massachusetts became the fourth state in New England to launch mobile sports betting in March.

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Florida: -250

The gaming compact between the Seminole Tribe and the State of Florida that legalized mobile and online sports betting in the Sunshine State was revived last week. A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court of Appeals reversed the ruling of federal court judge that threw out the compact. 

The lower court judge ruled the compact violated both Florida law and caused undue harm to casino operators. The Appeals court decided that the matter was something to be decided by the Department of the Interior in terms of approving the compact, and the Florida state courts in determining if the compact broke state law. 

Experts differ a possible timetable as to when or if sports betting would resume. Under the compact, retail and mobile sports betting is to be conducted by the Seminole Tribe. Online betting is done exclusively through the Hard Rock betting app. Retail betting is allowed at the Tribe's eight casinos. 

The Tribe must also license at least three of the state's nine parimutuel license holders to operate retail sites, as well The soonest possible date for any competitive, statewide, online betting outside the Tribe's control in Florida would be 2025. 

Oklahoma: +450

Gov. Kevin Stitt wanted to legalize sports betting during the 2023 session, but that didn't come to fruition (the session ended April 13). Oklahoma’s Native American tribes hold exclusive rights to gambling in the Sooner State. Oklahoma is basically in the same boat as Florida - and it's a dingy.

Minnesota: +2500

A bill to allow sports betting in Minnesota stalled in the state legislature. Minnesota sports betting will no doubt be debated again next year. The most-likely iteration would give the state’s 11 Native American tribes a monopoly on the action. The state’s pro teams and parimutuel facilities are currently excluded.

A similar bill stalled in 2022 after it passed the House but died after tribes opposed the addition of horse tracks to the bill. The addition of horse tracks this year wasn't enough to bridge the divide between the Farm-Labor and Republican parties. 

That development has breathed new life into the hopes for Minnesota sports betting bill in 2024, but more urgency on behalf of the tribes will be needed. It's unlikely even with a bill next spring, betting would be up and running by mid 2024.

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Missouri: +2500

Sports betting fell prey to partisan politics in the "Show Me State" this year. A bill that would have legalized retail and online betting failed in Jefferson City because of a nagging concern over stand-alone slot machines available at gas stations, bars and convenience stores throughout the state. 

Seven of the eight states that border Missouri have either operational or have legalized sports betting. A push by the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals may get this item on the ballot statewide. It's probable bill could get through the legislature next year given that the main antagonists are going to run for state office. But it's unlikely a launch could occur before the end of 2024. 

Texas: +100000

A bill legalize Texas betting apps  cleared the full House but died in the Senate this year. Again, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick refused to bring a bill to the floor of the Senate because it lacked enough votes to pass with solely Republican support. 

Legalizing sports betting in Texas requires a constitutional amendment, which is why a two-thirds majority vote and a ballot vote in November would be needed after any legislation.

Texas legislators meet every two years, so Texas sports betting won't be up for discussion again until 2025. A similar effort to legalize sports betting in Texas fell short in 2021. 

If Texas does allow sports betting, it would become the largest state in the nation to do so with 29.53 million people. Currently, New York is the most populous sports betting market in the U.S. with 19.84 million. Florida will supplant New York once it returns live, with 21.78 million people. 

California: +100000

The Golden State holds the Golden Ticket for the growth of sports betting in the United States. California is the nation’s most-populous state. But don’t expect sports betting apps to be available there any time soon. 

A much-publicized, very expensive ballot initiative failed miserably at the polls last November. Mobile betting in California remains a far-off dream for bettors and books alike. Given the amount of money at stake for both the state and the books themselves, the push will continue. 

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