Ready to sink your teeth into a spot of sports betting? Wind your neck in a bit – because first, you’re gonna want to read our online sportsbook reviews to identify the best opportunities in your state.
For those of you unawares, sports betting laws in the US are messy, meaning the best bookmakers vary massively from one state to the next. On this page, our team of hardened bettors will link you to the best ones available in your backyard, run through a few legal must-knows, and explore the hottest features all decent bookies should offer.
From Philly to ‘Frisco, good ol’ Americans like yourselves frequently wind-up feeling kinda flustered over US online betting laws. This doesn’t surprise us one iota. Let’s face it, they’re downright confusing, with different rules applying from one state the next, and popular betting sites, apps and platforms that are hip in one place being completely off-limits in the next.
This hazy outlook gave our guys – who already spend a ton of time reviewing the best new sites here, there and everywhere – a bit of a brainwave. We decided to fiddle with the back-end of our site a bit, so that this page will display all our favorite operators that are legal in your state, based on your geo-location.
So, deactivate your VPNs and it’s ready, set, go. Click on any of the banners or links on this page and you’ll find yourselves face-to-face with brands that we at DeadSpin can confirm are:
Here’s a rundown of how our experts rated every sportsbook available in each state where online sports betting is legal in 2026.
Of course, gambling legislation is rarely 100% clear-cut in any country, but in the US, things can feel particularly hazy. Put simply, the reason for this boils down to the not-so-long-back death of a dreaded a five-letter acronym, that you’ll find us citing in pretty much all our online sports betting site reviews – and that’s PASPA.
You see, PASPA, or the “Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act” was a kinda blanket ban that, back in the days before 2018, prohibited sports betting pretty much anywhere bar Nevada.
Obviously, it was overturned (hurrah!), which effectively gave each individual state free rein to legalize sports betting. And many did. At the time of writing, 29 states permit online sports wagering in the US, and in our betting news section, we’ll be the first to inform you each time a new region springs into action.
Here’s a handy table covering what’s (currently) what in the states that allow sports betting:
| State | Online Sports Betting Permitted | Retail Sports Betting Permitted |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | Yes | Yes |
| West Virginia | Yes | Yes |
| Mississippi | Yes, but only at retail casinos | Yes |
| New Mexico | Yes, but only at select tribal casinos | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | Yes | Yes |
| Rhode Island | Yes | Yes |
| New York | Yes | Yes |
| Iowa | Yes | Yes |
| Oregon | Yes | Yes |
| Indiana | Yes | Yes |
| New Hampshire | Yes | Yes |
| Illinois | Yes, but in-person registration required | Yes |
| Michigan | Yes | Yes |
| Colorado | Yes | Yes |
| Tennessee | Yes | No |
| Virginia | Yes | No |
| Montana | Yes, but only at lottery retailers with liquor licenses | Yes |
| North Carolina | Yes | Yes, but only at tribal casinos |
| Arizona | Yes | Yes |
| Wyoming | Yes | No |
| Washington | Yes, but only at in-state tribal casinos | Yes |
| South Dakota | No | Yes, but only in Deadwood |
| Connecticut | Yes | Yes |
| Nevada | Yes, but in-person registration required | Yes |
| Kansas | Yes | Yes |
| Maryland | Yes | Yes |
| Maine | Yes | Yes |
| Ohio | Yes | Yes |
| Massachusetts | Yes | Yes |
| Kentucky | Yes | Yes |
Nope, there isn’t. And that’s precisely why we decided to put out this very page – because the cream of the crop has a completely different flavor from one state to the next, basically.
And in addition to the obvious state-level restrictions and licensing green and red lights, platforms all have their own, individual strengths and weaknesses, too. There’ll always be one betting brand that’s best for bonuses, other sites that trump those guys totally when it comes to NFL odds, or PC and Mac-based betting, or another that’s hands-down the ultimate champion usability-wise if sports betting apps are what you want.
So, we’ve come full circle then, really. The best thing you can do is simply click on the banners on this page, read our reviews and start making a sort of “best sportsbook” shortlist of the sites, apps and platforms that best suit your betting needs and physical location.
Of course, you can go shopping around elsewhere too, but a word of warning. You’ll want to steer clear of any dubious sites fronting the following red flags:
Every platform ought to offer the obvious stuff first, such as:
| Essential Feature | Why it Matters | How to Tell Whether a Bookie Offers It |
|---|---|---|
| A local gambling license | If they aren’t regulated by a legitimate gambling organization based in your area, you can’t bet there. | Scroll to the bottom of their homepage to look for your regulator’s logo, do a keyword search in the brand’s T&Cs, or check directly with state-level regulators like the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. |
| Fair odds | The odds offered should be competitive and fair – and betting limits shouldn’t feel overly restrictive. | Use online sportsbook reviews or open a few competitors’ sites in separate tabs to check for big, eye-catching differences in odds. Also, check the “Promotions” pages for odds-boosts and odds-related bonuses. |
| Market depth and variety | You might be hoping to bet on NBA today, but what if you fancy NHL, golf, tennis, or kabaddi tomorrow? Diversity is strength. | Visit the brand’s sportsbook homepage and review the available markets. Look for sites offering 20 or more markets. |
To be fair, though, our experts think features should really go a lot further than this. As far as we’re concerned, online sportsbooks that are worthy of a four or five-star rating should offer their fair share of special and more unusual betting tools, options and opportunities to boot.
Here’s a few other features we always consider to be absolute must-haves, such as:
| Essential Feature | Why it Matters | How to Tell Whether a Bookie Offers It |
|---|---|---|
| Live betting and streaming | Betting platforms should allow you to bet on games as the action unfolds, with extra points for live-streaming games. | Check for a “live” or “in-play” tab on the operator’s site or consult online sports betting site reviews. |
| New and existing customer bonuses | Free bets on sign-up and VIP or loyalty programs are highly desirable. | Online sportsbook reviews cover new customer bonuses. For existing customer promos or loyalty clubs, check the “Promotions” page or the brand’s social media. |
| 24/7 customer support | It’s crucial to have support available for after-hours betting or urgent queries. | Look for a “Help Center” page, a live-chat bubble, or a localized telephone hotline on the brand’s site. |
As far as we can see it, the pros of doing a bit of background research pre-betting massively outweigh the cons. Ultimately, here’s what you’re looking at:
To recap, then, all reviews are valuable sources of information for bettors – but ours are total must-reads before you even dream of registering with a new sports betting site or app.
Why? Well, you’ll only ever be reading about legit, licensed providers with us, for starters. What’s more, by reading our expert-penned reviews, you can get better acquainted with what some of your state’s best betting brands have to offer in terms of essential features, bonuses and odds – as well as our team’s genuine thoughts and opinions of each site, put together after having actually tried out the platforms for ourselves.
Should you read TrustPilot and Reddit write-ups to boot? We’d say yes, by all means use all the resources available to you – just remember that the internet of course comes with its inevitable pros and cons…
Federally speaking, there’s an 18+ age limit – and this applies in Rhode Island, Wyoming and other regions. That said, most states that offer legal online sports betting, including Iowa and Indiana, have upped this to 21+, so always double-check before registering with a new bookie, and remember that you’ll likely need a US passport or drivers license to register.
It’s worth noting that college sports betting is limited or prohibited in some US states, even where betting on almost every other sport is allowed. Sorry guys, but that’s just how it is. At the time of writing, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maryland, and Kansas offer collegiate sports betting, while New Jersey, New York, Colorado and Arizona offer this kind of betting, but with limitations – such as props or local teams being off-limits for bets, for example. Our online sports betting site reviews can tell you which brands currently offer legal access to the markets you’re most interested in wherever you live. So, why not pay us a visit, eh?
There are a few things you ought to look out for before registering. These include state-level licenses, SSL encryption, fair and competitive odds, and more. Check our online sportsbook reviews here at DeadSpin to get better acquainted with 100% trustworthy brands, sites and apps. We’ll only ever point you in the direction of truly top-tier platforms.
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