With the Florida Gators 24-20 win over the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday, which saw Miami cover the 7.5-point spread and the total fall under 47 points, the 2019 college football betting season is officially underway.
Wagering on the NFL has already begun ahead of the opener between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. But which states will be ready to take your legal sports bets in time for the 100th NFL season? Let’s dive toward the pylon and find out.
At this point, it’s a lock that Illinois won’t have legal sports betting available for the NFL opener, but Midwest neighbor Indiana will be more than happy to accept your wagers when the biggest sports league in America kicks off the 2019 season.
While the Hoosier State won’t be No.12 to launch a sportsbook like we originally predicted—more on that below—and instead, Indiana will give the United States a baker’s dozen when it offers the state’s first legalized and licensed option on September 1 when the Ameristar Casino in East Chicago, IN opens its brick-and-mortar location.
And for which casinos will beat the ticking NFL clock, the Horseshoe Hammond Casino will open its sportsbook on September 4 while the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City will begin taking bets on September 5.
As many as 12 brick-and-mortar sportsbooks are expected to begin accepting wagers in Indiana next month. There is no timetable for mobile apps since regulators have said they want to focus on the physical locations before turning their attention toward Internet-based services.
Montana became the first state of 2019 to legalize sports betting when now-presidential candidate Gov. Steve Bullock signed the bill into law back in May, and there are some recent rumblings that Big Sky Country may have sportsbooks ready to go before the 2019 NFL season kicks off.
So far, regulators have not officially announced a start date for the state’s first legal offerings, but we’ll keep an eye on the situation, so Montanans know exactly when sports betting is coming.
In case you missed it: The “British Betting Invasion” is here and we covered why Bet365, the world’s biggest sportsbook, and other UK-based brands coming to New Jersey and other states is good for the newly legalized market in the United States.
Despite the recent bad news out of Oregon confirming that the state lottery’s Scoreboard app has been delayed, residents can rejoice with some good news tomorrow when the Chinook Winds Casino launches its sportsbook and makes the Beaver State the 12th state to offer legal sports betting.
And finally, West Virginia announced last week it is ready to hit the reset button on mobile sports betting and allow DraftKings and FanDuel to set up shop inside the state’s borders.
After not having a state-licensed wagering option for smartphones, tablets, or computers since March, FanDuel officially launched its app today at 6:00 am ET in partnership with The Greenbrier.
To avoid missing out on the latest legislative action happening in your neck of the woods, check out the SportsBetting.Legal US sports betting bill tracker to see what your state representatives and senators have in the works.
With college football officially kicked off and the NFL beginning in just over a week, there’s no better time to sign up and take advantage of the promotions happening at the best online sportsbooks you’ll find anywhere on the Internet!
