California is the biggest sports betting market that doesn't exist. With 39+ million residents, three NFL teams (49ers, Rams, Chargers), and some of the most passionate sports fans in America, the Golden State should be printing money from legal sports betting. So California residents are stuck using DFS platforms, crossing state lines into Nevada or Arizona for traditional sportsbooks, or using unregulated offshore sites.

Missouri just pulled off one of the closest sports betting votes in American history. Voters approved Amendment 2 in November 2024 by a razor-thin 50.05% to 49.95% margin, and now the state is racing toward a December 1, 2025 statewide launch. Sports betting is legal, but not yet live. You can pre-register with all nine operators and lock in bonuses, but you can't place real-money bets until December 1. Until then, Daily Fantasy Sports platforms like Underdog and FanDuel DFS are the only legal in-state NFL wagering options at 18+.

Wisconsin locked sports betting to tribal lands only, and the state constitution says it has to stay that way unless voters approve a change. Right now, six tribal casinos offer in-person sportsbooks, with Oneida Nation (near Green Bay) launching first in 2022 and Potawatomi Casino (Milwaukee) following in May 2024. Until then, you're either betting on tribal land or using Daily Fantasy Sports platforms like PrizePicks, which are fully legal statewide at 18+.

Washington handed sports betting to tribal casinos and locked everyone else out. Governor Jay Inslee signed HB 2638 into law in March 2020, giving tribes exclusive monopoly on legal sports betting, and that's how it's stayed ever since. You've got 15+ tribes running 29+ casinos with sportsbooks scattered across the state, mostly in Western Washington. Washington is home to the Seattle Seahawks, so NFL betting interest is massive, especially around the Puget Sound region.

South Dakota went halfway on sports betting and called it a day. Voters approved it in November 2020, casinos launched in September 2021, but here's the catch: you can only bet in person at casinos in Deadwood. That's it. No online betting, no mobile apps, just the historic gambling town tucked in the Black Hills. A handful of tribal casinos offer similar in-person access, but the rest of the state gets nothing. This breaks down South Dakota's retail-only setup, why DFS is your best option, and how to bet when the state forces you to choose between a road trip and your phone.

North Dakota runs the smallest sports betting operation in America, and it exists in the same legal twilight zone as New Mexico. Five tribal casinos run retail sportsbooks, and that's all you get. The silver lining is that North Dakota fully allows Daily Fantasy Sports platforms like PrizePicks at 19+, giving you actual online access without driving to a reservation. This breaks down North Dakota's tribal casino setup, why DFS is your best option, and how to bet when the state barely wants you to.

New Mexico operates in the strangest legal gray zone in American sports betting. The state never actually legalized sports betting through the legislature, but tribal casinos started offering it anyway in 2018 under existing gaming compacts from 2015. So you've got five tribal casinos running sportsbooks without any formal state law saying they can, and state lawmakers have made it clear they don't plan to fix this anytime soon. They're "unlikely to make it legal for a long time," according to official statements.

Nebraska took forever to get sports betting off the ground. Voters approved it in November 2020, the governor signed the law in May 2021, and then... nothing happened for two years. The first retail sportsbook finally opened in June 2023, making Nebraska one of the slowest states to actually launch betting after legalization. But here's the bright spot: Nebraska fully allows Daily Fantasy Sports platforms like PrizePicks, which you can use at 18+ from anywhere in the state.

Montana did something nobody else dared: it banned online sports betting and built 500+ retail kiosks instead. You read that right. While every other state rushed to launch mobile apps, Montana said "nah" and put betting machines in bars, restaurants, and lottery spots across the entire state. It's the first state outside Nevada to legalize sports betting post-PASPA (May 3, 2019), but it took the scenic route. This breaks down Montana's wild retail-only setup, your actual options for NFL betting, and how to navigate one of America's most restrictive markets.