Legal Betting Sites in the United States

How legal sports betting works in the US

US sports betting is regulated state by state, not nationally. Each state sets its own rules on who can offer odds, which markets are allowed and how operators handle deposits and payouts. That means the legal choice for you depends entirely on where you place the bet.

Regulators include the New Jersey DGE, the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC), the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) and the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB), among others. A sportsbook must hold a licence in every state where it operates, and the minimum age is 21 across regulated markets.

Practical takeaway: before signing up, confirm the operator is live in your state. Availability, permitted markets and account rules can differ between, for example, Illinois and Arizona even for the same brand.

States with regulated online sportsbooks

Legal, licensed betting is available in a growing list of states. The operators covered here run under state regulators in markets including:

• New York — NYSGC
• New Jersey — NJ DGE
• Pennsylvania — PGCB
• Michigan — MGCB
• Colorado
• Ohio
• Illinois
• Arizona
• Virginia
• Massachusetts

If your state isn't listed or an app won't accept your registration, that usually means the operator doesn't yet hold a licence there. Geolocation checks confirm you are physically inside a regulated state when you place a wager.

Licensed operators compared

All nine operators below are state-licensed and score highly for licence safety. We separate the compliance facts (all legal) from editorial judgment on where each one fits.

• bet365 — licence safety 9.5, app 9.3, odds 8.8. The strongest all-round rating here, with the widest market coverage (9.6) and deepest sports (9.5). Live Streaming is included. Choose it if you want breadth plus a top-rated app.
• DraftKings — licence safety 9.3, app 9.2. Best-price share of 54% across 1,068 sampled markets is the highest of any book here, and average margin is a tight 4.25%. Strong for pricing and Same Game Parlay.
• FanDuel — licence safety 9.3, app 9.3. Live capability 8.9 and a polished app. Best-price share 36% over 596 markets. A solid pick for live betting and parlays.
• BetMGM — licence safety 9.2. Best-price share of 20% and a higher 5.21% average margin mean weaker pricing on the sampled markets; features and app remain strong.
• Caesars Sportsbook — licence safety 9.2. Best-price share 36% over 906 markets. Balanced but not a standout on any single metric.
• BetRivers — licence safety 9.0, and the best withdrawals rating here at 8.6. Its 6.35% average margin is the widest sampled, so shop odds elsewhere for value.
• ESPN BET — licence safety 9.0, app 8.6. Solid app, mid-pack markets (8.0).
• Fanatics Sportsbook — licence safety 9.0, app 8.7. Best-price share 42% with a competitive 4.25% margin over 466 markets — good pricing for a newer book.
• Hard Rock Bet — licence safety 8.9, withdrawals 8.3. The lowest licence-safety score of the group, though still firmly in licensed territory.

Best-price share and margin figures come from sampled odds data and describe pricing, not overall quality.

Payments at legal US sportsbooks

Regulated operators use tracked banking methods that tie your account to a verified identity — part of why licensed books are the safer choice.

• PayPal is supported across all nine operators.
• Venmo is available at bet365, DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, ESPN BET, Fanatics and Hard Rock Bet.
• Online Banking is universal across the group.
• Play+ prepaid is used by DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars and BetRivers.
• Visa is listed at bet365 and FanDuel.

Minimum deposit is $10 at every operator here, and stated withdrawal time is 0–24 hours across the board. See our guides to PayPal betting sites and Venmo betting sites for method-specific options.

Apps and features

Every operator listed offers both iOS and Android apps. App ratings run from 8.2 (BetRivers) to 9.3 (bet365 and FanDuel).

Common features across licensed books:

• Live Betting — every operator here
• Same Game Parlay — DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, BetRivers, ESPN BET, Fanatics, Hard Rock Bet (bet365 offers Bet Builder)
• Cash Out — bet365, DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, ESPN BET
• Fast Payout — DraftKings, FanDuel, BetRivers, Fanatics, Hard Rock Bet
• Live Streaming — bet365, DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM

If in-play viewing matters, bet365, DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM are the four with Live Streaming. For parlay-heavy play across NFL and NBA, the Same Game Parlay books are the natural fit.

Which legal sportsbook fits you

Choose bet365 if you want the broadest markets and a top app and value the highest licence-safety rating (9.5) in this group.

Choose DraftKings if pricing matters most — its 54% best-price share and 4.25% margin lead the sampled data, and it pairs that with Same Game Parlay and Live Streaming.

Choose FanDuel for a strong live-betting app with parlays and Fast Payout.

Choose BetRivers if quick withdrawals are your priority (8.6, the best here), but be aware its sampled margin is the widest.

Avoid picking on brand name alone — confirm the operator is licensed in your state first, then compare pricing and payout methods for the sports you actually bet, whether that's NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL or UFC.