It would be fair to say that the gambling industry would consider 2024 an epic fail in regards to legalisation. No US state expanded gambling of any kind, marking the first year since the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act fell in 2018 that that happened.
With 2025 on the horizon, hope springs. Seven years after sports betting became a states’ rights issue, eleven US states have not legalised. It seems likely that at least one — Utah — never will. But what about the rest?
Below is a look at prospects in the 10 other states without legal wagering.
Alabama
In 2024, Alabama lawmakers tried a big lift — the legalisation of everything from lottery to casino to sports betting. All in a state with no gambling, other than electronic bingo on Indian land and historic horse racings at parimutuel facilities. The state legislature ultimately gutted and then failed to pass any proposals.
So far, no bills have been prefiled for the legislative session, which is set to run 4 February-15 May. Bills could have been prefiled as early as 21 May 2024.
Democratic House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels said he expects more discussion, and that the senate must take the lead, reports 1819News. During the last session, the house passed two pieces of gambling legislation. Both failed to gain traction in the senate.
Alabama lawmakers would be wise to reconsider moving a comprehensive bill. Similar proposals across the US have failed, and over time, lawmakers appear to have realised that bite-sized pieces of legislation are easier to move forward. Alabama remains one of five US states that doesn’t have a lottery. Given that lottery is entrenched and accepted in most US states, that seems like a fine starting point.
That said, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina currently form a small bloc of non-legal gambling states in the south. Digital betting is legal in border states Florida and Tennessee, while retail betting is legal in southwestern border state Mississippi.
Alaska
Not much to say here. Alaska’s legislature has never seriously considered legal sports betting. And operators aren’t spending time lobbying in the third-smallest US state. In 2022, a house bill that would have legalised digital wagering was introduced, but it died in committee.
The state legislature is set to convene 21 January and run through 21 May. A pre-filing period opens 10 January.
California
The biggest state in the nation is now 14 months removed from one of the biggest ballot-initiative defeats in history. The question isn’t whether or not California voters will legalise in 2025 — there is no opportunity — it’s whether they will have an initiative to vote on in 2026 or 2028.
The future of California sports betting is driven by the state’s tribes. A powerful lobby, Indian Country has exclusivity for gambling, but so far has not come to a consensus on what legal wagering should look like. What has become clear since that 2024 defeat is that commercial operators now seem more willing to work in tandem with the tribes, rather than in opposition. FanDuel has led the way in this effort, creating an entire department dedicated to building relationships in Indian Country.
Given the diversity of California’s tribes, it is difficult to find a middle ground for wagering. Should every tribe have the opportunity to partner with a big-time commercial operator? Maybe a select few should be granted platforms and share the proceeds? Should the state be divided into regions in which a single platform has a monopoly? Whatever the options or ultimate decision, Indian Country must make peace within itself before a ballot initiative moves forward. The decision will be driven by many factors, including the Revenue Sharing Trust Fund, branding and more.
The earliest a sports betting initiative could go to the voters is 2026. The question this year is if one will be crafted.
Georgia
After California and Texas, Georgia is the biggest US state without legal sports betting. It may also be one of the most perplexing. There is no tribal complexity to consider, and lawmakers have had consensus in the past. But politics have been at the crux of the delay in legalisation. Most notably, in 2021, with a deal in place, senate Democrats withheld votes over voter redistricting and other issues. Since then, no deal has gotten a vote in both chambers.
What will 2025 bring? To date, no bills have been filed (prefiling began 15 November) and there has been little talk about the issue. Senator Brandon Beach will likely carry legal wagering again. On 4 December, in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution op-ed he wrote, “Our stubbornness to legalize this wildly popular activity is not only forgoing millions of dollars in tax revenue, but also propping up shady offshore betting sites that have zero protections to prevent minors from gambling, have no problem-betting resources and might not even pay winners.”
The session is scheduled to run 13 January-3 April.
Hawaii
Hawaiian lawmakers have dabbled with the idea of a gambling expansion over the last few years, but no wagering bill has been called for a floor vote. Hawaii is another state without a lottery, making a comprehensive expansion seem like a reach.
In 2024, legal sports betting bills got committee discussion, but there was no resolution among lawmakers about what legal wagering should eventually look like. One of the bills filed last session did not include key details like tax rate or licencing fees.
For the upcoming legislative session, bills can be prefiled as early as 8 January, and must be filed by 23 January. The session opens 15 January and is set to run through 2 May.
Idaho
Nearly all forms of gambling are explicitly illegal in Idaho, though some gambling is allowed on tribal land. Charitable organisations can offer bingo and raffles under some circumstances, and parimutuel betting at horse tracks is allowed. But Idaho lawmakers have had little appetite for legal sports betting, and there is no indication that will change in the new year.
Idaho’s legislative session is set to open 6 January and run through 10 April. There is no pre-filing period, but senate bills must be filed by 17 January and house bills must be filed by 10 February for consideration.
Minnesota
Another tribal gaming state, Minnesota’s tribes have traditionally not supported legal sports betting legislation. In 2024, there appeared to be a deal, but there was no vote on it. The issue has been fraught, pitting two horse racetracks against Indian Country. A separate action by the state added charitable gaming to the mix. House DFLer Zack Stephenson brokered an agreement in which the tribes would pay out $40 million to charitable gaming.
Oh, and a state senator was arrested near the end of the session, creating gridlock.
So here we are. In October, Minnesota Indian Gaming Association executive director Andy Platto said a deal is in place.
“We have a framework that is currently supported by all stakeholders,” Platto said during a panel at G2E in October. “This is as close as we have ever come. And I can say is that all current stakeholders (are on board), but that could change.”
So far, no bills have been filed, but senator Matt Klein said he will continue to push the issue.
“A lot of Minnesotans are already betting on sports on their telephones, on their mobile devices, and they’re doing it illegally and through offshore platforms,” Klein told the Pioneer-Press 27 December. “What this would do is bring that activity into the legal sphere. It would have protections around problem gambling and underage gambling.”
The result of the November election is an even split in the house, which Klein thinks could work to move wagering legislation.
While stakeholders may be close to or at an agreement, lawmakers have other issues to consider. In Minnesota, there has been significant pushback from religious and social organisations.
The session is set to run 14 January-19 May and there is no pre-filing period.
Oklahoma
As in California, the future of legal sports betting in Oklahoma will be driven by the state’s tribes. Different from California, though, is that the tribes’ relationship with the governor is fractured, making the process frustrating, at best. Previously, the state’s tribes have said they will wait out Governor Kevin Stitt’s tenure before moving forward. Stitt will term-limit out in 2026.
But Senator David Rader dropped a bill 27 December that would allow for statewide digital betting. The bill would amend the current model gaming compact to allow sports betting, which would only launch if at least four tribes sign on. In the bill, Rader sets a sliding scale (5-7%) for revenue share between the tribes and the state, and earmarks 88% of state revenue for the “Education Reform Revolving Fund.”
The legislation session is set to run 3 February-30 May and bills must be filed by 16 January.
In 2023, Stitt laid out a legal wagering framework that would have handed retail betting to Indian Country, and also allowed commercial operators to offer digital betting. The tribes staunchly opposed the idea, which would encroach on their federal right to exclusivity. A bill that included Stitt’s proposal died in committee during the 2024 session.
Given the climate, it seems highly unlikely that any legal wagering bill will move forward in 2025.
South Carolina
As the North Carolina treasury rakes in tens of millions of dollars per month since launching legal digital sports betting in March, South Carolina remains a betting-free zone. Legally, anyway.
While lawmakers argue that betting is happening but the state isn’t benefitting, they are at an impasse as to what a legal wagering law should encompass.
So far, two legal betting bills have been filed in South Carolina:
HJR 3353 is a constitutional amendment that would ultimately send the decision to the voters. The proposal would allow for in-person pari-mutuel betting, legal sports betting, and casino games, including ball-and-dice and slot machines. Proceeds from a gambling expansion would be directed to “highway, road and bridge maintenance, construction and repair.”
HB 3625, would allow for legal sports betting only and caps the number of platforms at eight. This bill would make digital wagering legal. It also calls for a 12.5% tax on gross gaming revenue and the creation of a sports betting regulator. Operators will be required to pay a $100,000 (£79,697/€96,095) application fee and a $1 million licensing fee.
The bill requires that 5% of tax revenue be directed to problem and responsible gambling initiatives.
The legislature has spent some time discussing and studying the impacts of a gambling expansion, so it seems plausible that a bill could gain traction in in 2025. The legislative session is set to run 14 January-8 May, and bills must be filed ahead of the 10 April crossover deadline.
Texas
All eyes — or maybe it is wishes and hopes — in the gambling industry are on Texas. The state legislature meets only in odd years, meaning that it has been two years since a legal betting bill got out of the house, then stalled in the senate. A lot has changed — Miriam Adelson has so far funnelled $13 million into gambling lobbying efforts. Her family is also now the majority owner of the NBA Dallas Mavericks.
But no amount of money or power, it seems, can change this — Lt. Governor Dan Patrick remains staunchly opposed to a gambling expansion. And Patrick is the one person who has the power to call for a vote on any bill in the senate.
A gambling expansion will be on the agenda in some form after Democratic senator Carol Alvarado in November filed SJR 16. A constitutional amendment that also addresses casino gambling and destination resorts, SJR 16 does define sports betting but lacks detail. The proposal does not name a tax rate nor does it specify if digital sports betting would be allowed.
Lawmakers might have more luck by running a stand-alone betting bill, but even in that scenario, Patrick won’t call a vote without heavy republican support of a proposal.
The Texas legislative session runs 14 January-2 June and bills must be filed by 14 March.
