Some legal sportsbooks in the US offer esports betting, but the availability depends entirely on your geographic location. In most states, both online and in-person sports betting are illegal. But even in the many states that have legalized betting, esports bets can be hard to come by.
However, you can bet on esports at online and retail sportsbooks in the following states:
Mar 27, 2020 With the exceptions of Alaska and Florida, every state has at least one neighbor with legal sports wagering. Therefore, you can visit a nearby state to place bets. Of course, this option may not be feasible if you live in the middle of a vast place like Wyoming. But the states with legal betting are at least dispersed well throughout the country. States classified as “Legal – Not Yet Operational” have authorized sports betting, but have yet to launch. “Active or Pre-Filed Legislation” denotes jurisdictions where bills to legalize single-game sports betting have been pre-filed/introduced in the state legislature or where a voter referendum is scheduled. Nevada may provide a glimpse of what states can expect. Sports betting has been legal there since the 1950s. In 2017, it took in nearly $4.9 billion in total bets, which translated into a record.
- West Virginia
Prior to the Supreme Court decision, Delaware was one of five states exempted from the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. Delaware was limited to basic parlay bets on only NFL games.
You can also bet on esports in-person at tribal casinos with sportsbooks in Michigan and New York.
Esports Available For Betting in the United States
Esports betting largely focuses on the biggest tournaments, but you can find regular matchups and qualifier events depending on the game. A common rule is that all participating esports athletes must be at least 18 years or older for the sportsbook to list the event.
The most popular esports tournaments for betting in the US include the following:
- League of Legends Championship Series
- League of Legends European Championship
- eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
- CS:GO Legend Series
- Intel Extreme Masters
- DreamHack Masters
- ESEA
- BTS Pro Series
- ESL One
- Global StarCraft II League
The Overwatch League is also popular for esports bettors and offers more regularly occurring matchups. However, these can be tough to find because many events feature players below the age of 18, so sportsbooks will often simply omit the option altogether.
In Nevada and New Jersey, major esports events are approved for betting on an ongoing basis. But in Colorado and West Virginia, betting on a variety of esports is approved year-round.
Where Can You Bet On Esports?
Online And In-Person
Colorado allows for the most esports betting action than any other state with legal sportsbooks. You can bet on the following games both online and at retail sportsbooks:
- Call of Duty (COD)
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO)
- DOTA2
- E-Nascar
- League of Legends (LoL)
- NBA2K
- Overwatch
- Rainbow Six
You can find a complete list of games, leagues, and bets via the Approved Sports Catalog provided by the Colorado Division of Gaming.
West Virginia also allows any bet on esports as long as the competitors are legal adults. However, because Colorado boasts more bettors and more sportsbooks, it beats out West Virginia for availability.
In Nevada and New Jersey, esports events are limited to approved tournaments, and a licensed sportsbook needs to request the line. So if you have a go-to platform, reach out to them to see if they’ll request an event you’re interested in wagering on.
Online Sportsbooks Offering Esports
A handful of online sports betting apps and sites in Colorado, New Jersey, and Nevada take bets on esports. These include:
- BetMGM Sportsbook (and Borgata Sports NJ)
- William Hill Sportsbook
- BetRivers Sportsbook (PlaySugarHouse NJ)
- Caesars Sportsbook
- PointsBet Sportsbook
Colorado may have a few additional online sportsbooks taking esports bets. If you already have a go-to app, consider reaching out to their customer service if you can’t find esports listed in the index of sports.
Retail Sportsbooks Taking Esports Bets
Outside of the states that allow online and retail esports bets, you can find lines for esports at the sportsbooks located inside tribal casinos in New York and Michigan.
For Michigan, that means the Detroit-area commercial casinos can’t offer the option, but the close to 20 other tribal sportsbooks across the Upper and Lower Peninsulas can.
For New York, most Upstate casinos are tribal-owned and operated, so most of the retail sportsbooks can legally take an esports bet. For example, Rivers Casino Schenectady takes esports wagers occasionally at their BetRivers Sportsbook.
Daily Fantasy Esports
FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook do not offer esports betting, even in states where it’s legal. We reached out to their customer service to make sure, and they confirmed.
But, interestingly, both FanDuel DFS and DraftKings DFS offer Daily Fantasy Esports for several different games. At DraftKings DFS, you can do Daily Fantasy:
Top Notch Odds
- Call of Duty
- CS:GO
- League of Legends
- eNASCAR
- Rocket League
To play Daily Fantasy Esports, you build your roster within the salary caps and compete against other DFS players for real-money prize pools. It’s the same structure as traditional DFS, but with esports teams and players.
You can bet on it: Sports gambling is about to expand, big time, in the United States.
Right now, the only place you can legally bet on sports is Nevada.
Bet On Sports Legally Online
But on Monday, the Supreme Court struck down a federal law that prohibited legalized sports gambling anywhere but Nevada.
So what does this court decision mean, exactly?
Now that there is no longer a federal law against sports gambling, each state is free to pass laws that govern where people will be able to bet on sports and how.
'It'll be a state-by-state matter,' said Eugene Christiansen, an expert on casino gambling and consultant to the industry. 'I'm sure there will be a wide variety as to how fast or how slow the licensing proceeds.'
Are any other states close to approving sports betting?
Six states, including New Jersey which that brought the lawsuit to the Supreme Court, have already passed laws to allow casinos to take sports bets once the federal law was struck down, according to Geoff Freeman, CEO of the American Gaming Association. Those states are New Jersey, New York, West Virginia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
Another 12 states have introduced legal sports gambling legislation.
What States Can You Bet On Sports Legally
Even in states that have approved sports gambling, it'll take some time to complete the approval process, which will requirecompanies to be licensed in order to take sports bets.
'In the case of New Jersey I think we're talking weeks before we have sports betting in place,' he said. 'For most of the other states, I'd expect it start at the beginning of the football season this fall.'
How widespread will sports betting become?
There are a total of 40 states that have some kind of casino -- either state-regulated or tribal. Experts say they believe most if not all of those states will eventually allow sports gambling, simply because they won't want their own casinos to be at a competitive disadvantage with casinos just across state lines.
'It's the same reason we've seen the spread of casinos to so many states -- the states have been watching consumers going out of state to place bets,' said Josh Schiller, an attorney who has represented various gaming interests. 'People enjoy betting on sports.'
But experts say it could still take a few years before sports books are legal in states that haven't begun the process.
'Gaming law is something that typically takes time,' said Freeman. 'It's more complex than many people think.'
Will I be able to place a sports bet online in another state where it is legal?
Monday's decision only allows states to control gambling within their own borders. It does not open the door for interstate online gambling, or placing online bets with foreign sports books. That would require additional legislation or lawsuits.
How important is sports gambling for casinos?
Actually, it's not a very profitable business. For instance, gamblersin Nevada lost about $250 million betting legal on sports last year. But that equals only about 2% of the Nevada gaming industry's take overall.
Additionally, casinos have the potential to lose big on sports bets, unlike in house games. So sports betting can be the least profitable part of the casino, or even a money loser, according to experts.
Casinos fought for the approval to take sports bets because it's an important way to draw customers into the casinos. Otherwise, they would lose that business to illegal competitors, such as bookies and offshore gambling sites.