There is no such thing as a nationally licensed American bookmaker. Sports betting in the United States is legal state by state, and an operator licensed in New Jersey has no authority to take your bet in Texas. That single fact explains almost everything about how the American market looks compared with Britain, and it is where any honest guide has to start.
Where sports betting is legal
As of 11 September 2026, online and mobile sports betting is legal in 30 states plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico. Counting retail sportsbooks as well, sports betting in some form is legal in 38 states plus DC and Puerto Rico. (source)
The states with no legal sports betting at all still include some of the largest markets in the country: Alabama, Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah. California and Texas alone account for roughly one in five Americans.
The map changes most years, usually in one direction. Before you open an account, check the current position in your own state rather than relying on any list, including this one.
How the law got here
Three pieces of federal law come up constantly, and none of them makes betting illegal for you as a customer.
- The Wire Act (1961) prohibits using wire communications to transmit sports bets across state lines. It is aimed at operators, not bettors, and it is the reason your betting app checks your location and stops working when you cross a state border.
- UIGEA (2006) targets the processing of payments for unlawful internet gambling. Again, the obligation falls on banks and operators.
- Murphy v. NCAA (2018) struck down PASPA, the federal ban that had confined legal sports betting to Nevada. The Supreme Court returned the question to the states, and the market you see today was built in the years since.
The age is 21, not 18
In most American states the minimum age for sports betting is 21. A handful set it at 18. This is the sharpest practical difference from Great Britain, where the age is 18 everywhere and the rule is set nationally.
Odds are quoted American-style
American sportsbooks price in moneyline format, where a minus number is the stake needed to win 100 and a plus number is the profit on a 100 stake.
| American | Decimal | Fractional | Return on $10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| -200 | 1.50 | 1/2 | $15 |
| -110 | 1.91 | 10/11 | $19.10 |
| +100 | 2.00 | Evens | $20 |
| +150 | 2.50 | 6/4 | $25 |
| +500 | 6.00 | 5/1 | $60 |
The standard price on a point spread or a total is -110 on both sides, which is where the book's margin sits.
Winnings are taxable
This is the other big divergence from Britain. In the United Kingdom betting duty is paid by the operator and the customer pays nothing. In the United States gambling winnings are taxable income, and large payouts are reported to the tax authorities on a W-2G form. Keep your records: losses can be deducted against winnings, but only if you have documented them.
Who the American operators are
We do not publish a ranking on this page, and that is deliberate: none of the operators we review hold a US state licence under the brand you would recognise. Listing them here would be pointing American readers at books they cannot legally use.
For reference, the brands that dominate the licensed US market are DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, ESPN Bet and Fanatics Sportsbook. Two of them have a direct connection to names that appear elsewhere on this site: Caesars bought William Hill in April 2021 and rebranded its American business Caesars Sportsbook, selling the European side to 888 Holdings later that year; and BetMGM is the US joint venture of Entain, the group behind bwin. The British brands did not leave the American market so much as change their names inside it.
How to tell whether an American sportsbook is legal
- It names the state gaming regulator that licensed it — a state gaming commission or board, never a national body.
- It checks your location through the app and refuses bets outside the licensed state.
- It asks for your Social Security number at registration. Licensed books are required to verify identity; offshore sites are not, which is precisely why they do not ask.
- It appears on the regulator's own list of licensees.
An offshore site accepting American customers without a state licence offers no protection for your funds, no route for a dispute and no self-exclusion. The absence of a licence is the point of it, from their side.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bet with a UK bookmaker from the United States?
No. A UK Gambling Commission licence covers Great Britain, not any American state. See our page on UK bookmakers for what that licence does cover.
What happens if I cross a state line with an open bet?
The bet stands; what stops is your ability to place a new one. Location checks run when you wager, not afterwards.
Is daily fantasy sports the same thing?
No. Daily fantasy is regulated separately and is available in several states where sports betting is not. The rules, and the operators, are different.
Are betting exchanges available in the US?
Only in a small number of states, and in a more limited form than in Britain, where the exchange model was invented.
Related guides: UK bookmakers · NFL betting · basketball betting · ice hockey betting · all bookmakers