BetMGM States: Where Is BetMGM Sportsbook Legal in the US?

BetMGM, the online entity for the critically-acclaimed MGM Resorts, is an online gaming platform that needs no introduction. Here, we’ll show you everything you need to know about it from a legal angle, including where it’s available, the events that led it to become legal, how it operates differently from state to state, and more.

• Where Is BetMGM Sportsbook Legal?
• Where Is BetMGM Casino Legal?
• BetMGM Legal States
• BetMGM: Background on the Brand
• BetMGM Sports Betting Legal Timeline Retrospective
• Open an Account
• States Where BetMGM Is Legal
• BetMGM FAQs

What states is BetMGM legal in? Glad you asked—BetMGM Sportsbook is legal in over 20 states and the District of Columbia. The list of BetMGM legal states includes New Jersey, Iowa, West Virginia, Indiana, Nevada, Colorado, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C., Arizona, Mississippi, Wyoming, Louisiana, New York, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Ohio.

BetMGM is one of the more prominent online gaming brands, so it’s no surprise that it sprang into action shortly after the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act got overturned in May 2018. It launched its very first online betting site in August 2018, its only branch until 2020, when it expanded to seven additional states.

The expansion of online casino gambling hasn’t been nearly as fast as online sports betting. Online gambling is legal in just seven states, and BetMGM Casino can be found in four of them, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michigan, and Rhode Island. Its first branch was also in New Jersey in 2017.

BetMGM Casino is the online version of MGM Resorts, a brand that’s been involved in gambling since the 1920s. The site owns multiple locations, including the Borgata in Atlantic City and MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

BetMGM Casino was once known as PlayMGM. The BetMGM brand partners with Roar Digital, a joint venture between GVC Holdings and MGM Resorts.

What states can you use BetMGM in? Find out that and along with platforms below.

After PASPA was overturned, MGM announced a joint venture between themselves and GVC Holdings, now known as Entain. GVC Holdings owned brands such as Gala, Bwin, SportingBet, Party Poker, and many other prominent European-based gambling outfits. This venture aimed to create a sports betting and online gambling platform in the United States.

In January 2019, this joint venture was renamed Roar Digital. After launching its sports betting platform, BetMGM secured multiple partnerships with the NBA, NHL, MLB, and the restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings.

The brand now offers online sports betting, gambling, and poker. There are multiple retail-based sportsbooks for the brand, including ones in Nevada, Michigan, New Jersey, and more recently, within Nationals Park, the home stadium for the Washington Nationals.

• 2023 - BetMGM adds Ohio and Massachusetts to its growing list of states where their online sportsbook is available.
• 2022 - Expanding to More States: BetMGM expands to more states, such as Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, and New York. It opened a retail sportsbook inside Nationals Park, home of the MLB’s Washington Nationals.
• 2021 - New Partnerships: BetMGM enters into multiple partnerships, including Topgolf, Radio Group Audacy, LPGA, Madison Square Garden, Bill Burr, and All Things Comedy.
• 2020 - Seven More States Bring In BetMGM: After nothing in 2019, BetMGM expanded to seven more states in 2020—Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
• August 2018 - BetMGM Online Sportsbook is Live: BetMGM launched its first online sportsbook in New Jersey, partnering with Resorts Casino Atlantic City.
• July 2018 - MGM Teams Up With UK-Based Gambling Entity: With PASPA resolved, MGM partnered up with GVC Holdings (Entain) with the goal of bringing online sports betting to the United States. This partnership was dubbed Roar Digital in 2019.
• May 2018 - Bye Bye PASPA: The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was struck down after the court case Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association ruled it conflicted with the Tenth Amendment.
• 2017 - PlayMGM Comes to the US: MGM launched two additional platforms, one in Nevada and one in New Jersey. It launched an online sportsbook in Nevada, and New Jersey was home to an online casino. That same year, MGM bought the San Antonio Stars of the WNBA and moved them to Las Vegas.
• 2001 - PlayMGM Launches For The First Time in the UK: Under the site playmgmmirage.com and through a license by the Isle of Man, MGM launches its first online gambling platform.

Creating an account at BetMGM Sportsbook takes just a few minutes to complete. Below, we’ll go over how to do it step-by-step without issue.

1. Download the BetMGM mobile app or desktop site.
2. Click on “Register” in the upper right-hand corner of the site.
3. You can begin the process with your email, PayPal account, MGM Rewards account, or Yahoo! Sports account.
4. Using your email, you’ll then proceed with the registration process.
5. You’ll need to provide information such as your password, name, last four digits of your social security number, date of birth, address, and more.
6. After your account is created, BetMGM will run geolocation software to confirm you reside in a legal BetMGM state when you want to make real-money transactions.
7. Once your location is confirmed, you can start depositing funds and playing at your favorite BetMGM platform.

Two-factor Authentication required in some states

Two-factor authentication is a service that allows you to attach your phone number to your account. The role your phone number plays here is that whenever you log in, a code will be sent to your phone that you’ll provide to log into your account. At BetMGM, two-factor authentication is required as of August 30, 2022, and is started during registration. The goal of this initiative is to keep customer accounts safe.

BetMGM Sportsbook expanded quite quickly in a short time. Since 2018 when PASPA was repealed, the only year BetMGM didn’t open a new online sportsbook was 2019. Below is a complete list of all BetMGM legal states and information about each.

Is BetMGM legal in New Jersey?

Yes! BetMGM first launched in New Jersey in August 2018, partnering with Borgata Hotel & Casino.

Is BetMGM legal in Iowa?

Yes! After not launching anywhere in 2019, BetMGM took its product to Iowa, launching in January 2020 in partnership with Diamond Jo Casino.

Is BetMGM legal in West Virginia?

Yes! January 2020 was a busy month for BetMGM. It launched in WV, partnering with The Greenbrier.

Is BetMGM legal in Indiana?

Yes! The following month, BetMGM came to Indiana in February 2020 in partnership with Belterra Casino Resort.

Is BetMGM legal in Nevada?

Yes! Initially launching PlayMGM there in 2017, BetMGM came to Nevada in March 2020, partnering with—you guessed it—MGM Resorts.

Is BetMGM legal in Colorado?

Yes! Partnering with the Midnight Rose Casino, BetMGM launched in Colorado in May 2020.

Is BetMGM legal in Tennessee?

Yes! No retail partner is required in Tennessee, a state that BetMGM launched in November 2020.

Is BetMGM legal in PA?

Yes! Pennsylvania has been a go-to spot for online gaming, and it became home to BetMGM in December 2020, partnering with Hollywood casino Morgantown.

Is BetMGM legal in Michigan?

Yes! With MGM Grand Detroit, BetMGM came to Michigan in January 2021.

Is BetMGM legal in Virginia?

Yes! BetMGM didn’t need a retail partner to launch in Virginia when it came to the state in January 2021.

Is BetMGM legal in Washington D.C.?

Yes! Partnered with the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball, BetMGM has a land-based sportsbook in the stadium, launched in June 2021.

Is BetMGM legal in Arizona?

Yes! This is another state in which BetMGM is partnered with a professional sports team. In Arizona, they linked up with the Arizona Cardinals and Gila River, launching in September 2021.

Is BetMGM legal in Mississippi?

Yes! Partnered with Gold Strike Casino and launching in September 2021, you can bet online in Mississippi so long as you are on the property of Gold Strike.

Is BetMGM legal in Massachussetts?

Yes! After setting up a retail sportsbook in 2022, BetMGM launched its online sportsbook in the Bay State in 2023.

Is BetMGM legal in Wyoming?

Yes! Like TN and VA, WY doesn’t require a land-based partner. BetMGM came to the state in September 2021.

Is BetMGM legal in NY?

Yes! Kicking off January 2022, BetMGM came to the state, partnering with Empire City Casino.

Is BetMGM legal in Louisiana?

Yes! That same month, In January 2022, BetMGM came to Louisiana, partnering with Sam’s Town Casino.

Is BetMGM legal in Illinois?

Yes! In March 2022, BetMGM launched in Illinois, partnering with Par-A-Dice Casino.

Is BetMGM legal in Kansas?

Yes! Partnered with Kansas Crossing Casino, BetMGM launched in the state in September 2022.

Is BetMGM legal in Maryland?

Yes! Maryland became home to BetMGM in November 2022, partnering with MGM National Harbor.

Is BetMGM legal in Ohio?

Yes! In January 2023, BetMGM came to the Buckeye State, partnering with MGM Northfield Park.

Is BetMGM legal in North Carolina?

Yes! BetMGM launched in the Tar Heel State when the market went live in March 2023.