Lintao Zhang/Getty Images. Pictured: Olympic rings
Friday’s opening ceremonies mark the first Olympic games since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal sports betting ban in 2018. The American Gaming Association estimates 20 million U.S. residents plan to wager on the 2020 Tokyo (now 2021) games.
That doesn’t mean every state has legal Olympic betting — or even sports betting.
While a dozen states will feature multiple sites with a wide range of Olympic betting options — including men’s basketball, baseball, table tennis, rugby, skateboarding and a whole lot more — some are more limited.
| Full Mobile | Some Options | None |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | New Hampshire | Delaware |
| Illinois | Rhode Island | |
| Indiana | Oregon | |
| Iowa | Montana | |
| Michigan | Arkansas | |
| New Jersey | Mississippi | |
| Nevada | North Carolina | |
| Pennsylvania | New Mexico | |
| Tennessee | New York | |
| Virginia | ||
| Washington DC | ||
| West Virginia |
Each of the 21 states (plus Washington D.C.) with legal sports betting live now incorporate different laws and regulations that can restrict or sometimes prohibit Olympic betting. Each sportsbook also chooses which events it will accept bets on, many of which are unfamiliar to Americans (and American bookmakers).
Here’s everything you need to know in your state ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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Full Mobile, Full Olympics (12 states)
All of these states feature multiple online sportsbooks with a wide variety of events offered. Each book and state is different, but most top sportsbooks feature the aforementioned events along with: women’s basketball, men’s and women’s ping pong, softball, soccer, sport climbing, archery, skateboarding, surfing, pentathlon and swimming and more.
Make sure to check with your preferred sportsbook to see all available options.
Colorado
Table-tennis crazy Colorado will have a chance to bet on the sport’s biggest event – and one of the nation’s more expansive catalogs of Olympic competitions.
Illinois
There are six live mobile sportsbooks for this year’s Olympics, but new users will have to register in-person to place a bet.
Indiana
Indiana rules specifically allow bets on 17 Olympic events, including water polo, track & field and beach volleyball.
Iowa
Bettors no longer have to register in person for a digital sportsbook, but Iowa law restricts certain individual prop bets on amateur events.
Michigan
University of Michigan graduate Michael Phelps won’t be in the pool for this year’s games, but there’s still plenty of betting options for Olympic bettors in the Wolverine State.
New Jersey
“Vegas East,” now the nation’s highest-grossing sports betting market, gets its first shot at legal wagering.
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Nevada
Nevada is about to lose its distinction as the only state to accept a legal Olympic wager.
Pennsylvania
The 76ers’ Ben Simmons won’t represent his native Australia in this year’s game, but his Philadelphia teammate Matisse Thybulle is already impressing for the Aussies.
Tennessee
Tennesseans will have a half-dozen betting online betting options in the only state that currently features digital sportsbooks and no retail options.
Virginia
Ten online sportsbooks in Virginia will be live ahead of the 2020 Olympics.
Washington D.C.
Bettors in the nation’s capital can bet with William Hill, BetMGM and the District lottery’s GamBet app, but are restricted from using the commercial apps outside certain zones or on federal property.
West Virginia
Sport climbing isn’t offered at certain Mountaineer State sportsbooks but many major sports are available.
Limited Options (9 states)
The limited bookmaking options could mean limits on available bets
New Hampshire
DraftKings is the only legal sports betting option, but New Hampshire bettors will have plenty of Olympic events to wager on.
Rhode Island
William Hill is Rhode Island’s lone sportsbook provider, via its statewide mobile app and two retail books at each of the state’s casinos.
Oregon
The lottery-run Scoreboard app is the only statewide mobile option, but there are a handful of retail books at Native American casinos.
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Montana
The state-lottery run Sports Bet Montana is the only legal betting option and only certain events including track and field are offered.
Arkansas
There are only a handful of retail betting options in Arkansas.
Mississippi
There are plenty of retail betting options at Mississippi casinos along the Gulf Coast and Mississippi River, but no statewide mobile for this year’s Olympics.
North Carolina
The state’s two retail sportsbooks mean few (if any) Olympic betting options.
New Mexico
Several tribal casinos have retail sportsbooks but there are no legal statewide mobile options.
New York
Online sports betting isn’t live, leaving only a few retail sportsbooks with limited Olympic wagering options.
Aren’t Offered
Delaware
The state’s three casinos aren’t taking Olympic bets.