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The Rules for College Sports Betting State-by-State in the US

by Dave Schwab - 3/21/2023

NCAA Tournament basketball

There are 35 states plus the District of Columbia that have legal sport betting in the US. While betting of professional sports leagues is universal across each US market, there is some debate about betting on college sports.

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Of 35 states that do have legal wagers, 16 of those states can wager on college sports, whether it is game or prop bets. In seven states, you could bet on a game in college sports, but you cannot bet on college sports props. In 11 states and DC, you can bet on out-of-state college sports games, but it is illegal to wager on in-state teams whether it is a game or a prop bet. It is illegal to wager on any college sports in Oregon, whether it is a game or a prop bet.

Regional Betting on College Sports

In the Northeast, New York (No. 1) and New Jersey (No. 2) are the biggest legal sports betting states in the country. However, both markets make it illegal to wager on in-state college teams, either by game bets or prop bets.

Joining markets in the Northeast, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maine are New England states that do not have sports betting on in-state college games or props. Delaware and DC are two more Northeast markets that do not allow in-state betting on game or props.

It is legal to bet on college games and props in Northeast markets such as Pennsylvania and Maryland. This applies to in-school and out-of-school college teams.

Moving to the Southeast, Virginia and Tennessee are legal to bet on games (both in-state and out-of-state colleges) but not on props. In West Virginia and in tribal casinos in North Carolina, you can wager on in-school and out-of-school college games and props. Deeper in the Southeast Region, you can also bet on college games and props in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.

The Midwest Region goes from Ohio all the way to Wisconsin. You can wager on games and props in the college level at the Buckeye State. However, it is illegal to wager on in-state college teams (both games and props) in the Badger State.

Also representing the Midwest, Michigan and Kansas have in-school and out-of-school wagering on college games and prop bets. Illinois, Indiana and Iowa have in-school betting on college sports games but they do not have legal betting on props.

Moving out in the West Region, there are six markets that legalize in-state and out-of-state wagers on college sports games and props bet led by Nevada, which was the first US state to bring in sportsbooks. The other five states in the West are Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota and Wyoming.

Arizona and Colorado also legalized in-school betting on college sports games. However, residents in these two states are not allowed to bet on college sports props.

There are still 15 US states that do not have legal sportsbooks in their borders, including California, Texas and Florida.

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