States That Considered Sports Betting in 2025

All state legislatures have wrapped up their 2025 legislative sessions. Only one state legalized sports betting in 2025. That state, Missouri, did so via a Constitutional Amendment in November 2024, with sports betting going live in December 2025. A handful of other states tried to legalize sports betting, but each effort fell short.

Click on the map below for details on each state that considered sports betting in 2025.

Legalized Sports Betting

Missouri

Advocates for sports betting in the state gathered sufficient signatures in 2024 to have a Constitutional Amendment to legalize sports betting placed on the ballot for voters to pass or reject. This allowed them to bypass the legislature by having the voters vote directly on the issue at the voting booth. The initiative passed by the narrowest of margins in November 2024 (50.05% For—49.95% Against). NCPG took an active role assisting in the drafting of this constitutional amendment, and it includes significant funding for problem gambling. The Amendment as passed requires 10% of sports betting tax revenue be devoted to problem gambling prevention and treatment. NCPG is neutral on legalized gambling and took no stance on whether the amendment should pass. Sports betting went live in the state in December 2025. NCPG is continuing to monitor updates in the state and will continue educating lawmakers on the importance of including responsible and problem gambling provisions in legislation and constitutional amendments.

Tried but Failed to Legalized Sports Betting

Alabama

A sports betting legalization bill was introduced in Alabama in 2025, but it did not have a legislative hearing and did not make any significant progress before the conclusion of the legislative session.

Alaska

A sports betting legalization bill was introduced in Alaska in 2025, but it did not have a legislative hearing and did not make any significant progress before the conclusion of the legislative session. The bill can be taken up again in 2026.

Georgia

Once again, the Georgia legislature considered multiple bills to legalize sports betting in the state. Still a point of debate is whether legalizing sports betting requires a constitutional amendment, with legal scholars in the state split on the issue. Most of the gambling industry’s lobbyists take the stance that a constitutional amendment is not necessary, and worked with legislators to introduce bills that would legalize sports betting absent one. Another group of lawmakers believes a constitutional amendment is required and introduced bills that included an amendment. Although that is an open debate, it is not debated that absent a constitutional amendment, revenue from legalized sports betting could only go to education according to the Georgia Constitution, and not to problem gambling prevention, research, or treatment. Therefore, given that obstacle, the bills without a constitutional amendment have been extremely weak on preventing and treating gambling addiction.

Unlike 2024, no bill received a hearing in 2025, but the legislature did commission a committee that worked throughout the Summer and Fall of 2025 to study the issue of legalizing sports betting. NCPG submitted written testimony to the study committee in September 2025. Although the study committee issued a final report in October 2025 without any recommendations, the Chairman of the study committee resigned from the state legislature at the same time, further complicating sports betting’s future in the state. He had also been the lead sponsor of one of the bills to legalize sports betting. The Georgia Legislature will surely take up sports betting again in 2026.

Hawaii

A sports betting legalization bill was introduced in Hawaii in 2025, and made significant progress. The bill had hearings and passed both the House and Senate, but in different forms which required reconciliation. Ultimately, lawmakers could not iron out the differences between the Senate and House bills and they died without final passage. Both bills included funding for problem gambling prevention and treatment. Lawmakers continue to show more and more interest in legalizing sports betting in the state. The opposition in the state is fierce. Many believe the activity will prey on native Hawaiians and are opposed to Hawaii bringing sports betting to the state as the state’s first legalized form of gambling. NCPG submitted testimony in the state and plans to monitor it closely in 2026.

Minnesota

In 2025, Minnesota made another attempt at passing a sports betting legalization bill. At the very beginning of the session, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the potential harms of legalizing sports betting in the state. Both NCPG and its state affiliate, the Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling, submitted testimony. Although both the House and the Senate seriously considered bills to legalize sports betting in the state once again, neither passed their respective bills. Just like in the previous 3 years, lawmakers could not agree on whether sports betting licenses should be held entirely by the state’s Indian tribes and how the tax revenues should be divided. Lawmakers will surely make another attempt at legalization in 2026. The Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling led the charge in the state for ensuring the legislation included resources for problem gambling treatment and services.

Oklahoma

Once again, multiple sports betting legalization bills have passed one chamber or various committees in the Oklahoma legislature. However, there continues to be a dispute between Oklahoma’s tribes and the Executive branch on how sports betting would operate in the state and which entities would get licenses. There is also an effort to legalize sports betting by passing a legislatively referred statute that would be brought before the voters in 2026 allowing them to pass the bill at the ballot box. That effort to allow the statute to appear on the ballot has not been successful as of yet. The legislature will likely take up the issue again in 2026. NCPG’s state affiliate, the Oklahoma Association of Problem Gambling and Gaming, is leading the advocacy efforts in the state, with NCPG assisting where requested.

South Carolina

A sports betting legalization bill was introduced in South Carolina in 2025, but it did not have a legislative hearing and did not make any significant progress before the conclusion of the legislative session.

Texas

A sports betting legalization bill was introduced in Texas in 2025, but it did not have a legislative hearing and did not make any significant progress before the conclusion of the legislative session. The Texas Legislature only meets in odd years, meaning a bill will not be considered again until 2027.

Questions? Contact Cole Wogoman, Director, Policy and Partnerships at ColeW@NCPGambling.org.