Shedblog

Some legal sportsbooks in the US offer esports betting, but the availability depends entirely on your geographic location. In most states, both online and in-person sports betting are illegal. But even in the many states that have legalized betting, esports bets can be hard to come by.

Today, online fantasy sports betting is legal in 80% of US states, with legislation on the horizon for some of the remaining 10% too. Check back on this page regularly for updates on the legal situation in each state. FanDuel and DraftKings – Daily Fantasy Sports for Cash. The Moneyist: ‘It’s like a Gothic novel.’ My mom had an aortic-aneurysm rupture — my sister moved into her home and, when our mother died, never moved out. 2 days ago FanDuel CEO says ‘fiscal pressures’ from the pandemic could force more states to legalize sports betting Last Updated: Feb. 7, 2021 at 12:46 p.m. ET First Published: Feb. 5, 2021 at 2:17 p.m. The info on where, how, & when sports betting is legal The legalization of sports gambling in America is advancing at different rates in different locales. Does your state allow legal sports betting on the internet, retail wagering at the sportsbook counter, or both? The latest states to come online with a FanDuel Sportsbook are Colorado in May 2020, Illinois in August 2020, Iowa in September 2020, Tennessee in November 2020, and Virginia in January 2021. Try out FanDuel Sportsbook with a risk-free bet!

However, you can bet on esports at online and retail sportsbooks in the following states:

• West Virginia

You can also bet on esports in-person at tribal casinos with sportsbooks in Michigan and New York.

Esports Available For Betting in the United States

Esports betting largely focuses on the biggest tournaments, but you can find regular matchups and qualifier events depending on the game. A common rule is that all participating esports athletes must be at least 18 years or older for the sportsbook to list the event.

The most popular esports tournaments for betting in the US include the following:

• League of Legends Championship Series
• League of Legends European Championship
• eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
• CS:GO Legend Series
• Intel Extreme Masters
• DreamHack Masters
• ESEA
• BTS Pro Series
• ESL One
• Global StarCraft II League

The Overwatch League is also popular for esports bettors and offers more regularly occurring matchups. However, these can be tough to find because many events feature players below the age of 18, so sportsbooks will often simply omit the option altogether.

In Nevada and New Jersey, major esports events are approved for betting on an ongoing basis. But in Colorado and West Virginia, betting on a variety of esports is approved year-round.

Where Can You Bet On Esports?

Online And In-Person

Colorado allows for the most esports betting action than any other state with legal sportsbooks. You can bet on the following games both online and at retail sportsbooks:

• Call of Duty (COD)
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO)
• DOTA2
• E-Nascar
• League of Legends (LoL)
• NBA2K
• Overwatch
• Rainbow Six

You can find a complete list of games, leagues, and bets via the Approved Sports Catalog provided by the Colorado Division of Gaming.

West Virginia also allows any bet on esports as long as the competitors are legal adults. However, because Colorado boasts more bettors and more sportsbooks, it beats out West Virginia for availability.

In Nevada and New Jersey, esports events are limited to approved tournaments, and a licensed sportsbook needs to request the line. So if you have a go-to platform, reach out to them to see if they’ll request an event you’re interested in wagering on.

Online Sportsbooks Offering Esports

A handful of online sports betting apps and sites in Colorado, New Jersey, and Nevada take bets on esports. These include:

• BetMGM Sportsbook (and Borgata Sports NJ)
• William Hill Sportsbook
• BetRivers Sportsbook (PlaySugarHouse NJ)
• Caesars Sportsbook
• PointsBet Sportsbook

Colorado may have a few additional online sportsbooks taking esports bets. If you already have a go-to app, consider reaching out to their customer service if you can’t find esports listed in the index of sports.

Retail Sportsbooks Taking Esports Bets

Outside of the states that allow online and retail esports bets, you can find lines for esports at the sportsbooks located inside tribal casinos in New York and Michigan.

For Michigan, that means the Detroit-area commercial casinos can’t offer the option, but the close to 20 other tribal sportsbooks across the Upper and Lower Peninsulas can.

For New York, most Upstate casinos are tribal-owned and operated, so most of the retail sportsbooks can legally take an esports bet. For example, Rivers Casino Schenectady takes esports wagers occasionally at their BetRivers Sportsbook.

Daily Fantasy Esports

FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook do not offer esports betting, even in states where it’s legal. We reached out to their customer service to make sure, and they confirmed.

But, interestingly, both FanDuel DFS and DraftKings DFS offer Daily Fantasy Esports for several different games. At DraftKings DFS, you can do Daily Fantasy:

• Call of Duty
• CS:GO
• League of Legends
• eNASCAR
• Rocket League

To play Daily Fantasy Esports, you build your roster within the salary caps and compete against other DFS players for real-money prize pools. It’s the same structure as traditional DFS, but with esports teams and players.

Sports Betting Market Leaders By State

by Matias Dorta / November 12th, 2020

Introduction

U.S. online sports betting is akin to a digital gold rush. Each new state that legalizes online sports betting becomes a new frontier for the companies and operators competing for the U.S. market. In this blog, we will cover the states that have legalized online sports betting as of September 2020 and break down the current state of each market.

This blog will be updated monthly as new data becomes available (feel free to bookmark).

Sports Betting Market Leaders By State

The information below is based on the most recent data as of October 31, 2020, representing the various states that have regulated online sports betting markets. Market Leader refers to the leader for online sports betting. This is not a recommendation to buy or sell securities.

New Jersey

October 2020 Total Handle: $803 million

Online Percentage: 93%

Market Leader: FanDuel/Pointsbet

The Garden State has become the success story in U.S. online sports betting. New Jersey, which launched its first legal online sportsbook in the summer of 2018, is now the U.S. leader in online sports betting. The state set a record for single state monthly sports betting handle in the U.S. in August with a total handle of $667.9 million, and then broke its own record in September with a $748.6 million handle, and again in October passing $800M.

The state currently has over 10 live online sportsbooks, including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, William Hill, bet365 and more.

The market leader in New Jersey is FanDuel/PointsBet. FanDuel and PointsBet are both partnered with license holder Meadowlands, therefore, their revenue is reported together. The tandem recorded just under $30 million in revenue from online wagers in October. According to NJ Gambling Sites, FanDuel Sportsbook is responsible for a majority of that revenue. The runner-up in the New Jersey market is DraftKings/BetStars operating under Resorts license, the duo generated ~$14.6 million in revenue in October.

Related Companies: Flutter Entertainment, PointsBet, DraftKings, William Hill

Nevada

October 2020 Total Handle: $659.6 million

Online Percentage: 57.1%

Market Leader: William Hill

Nevada has a rich history of gambling as the first state to legalize most forms of wagering in 1931. In 2010, Nevada allowed sports betting apps to go live, which opened the door to wagering outside of a physical sportsbook. In October 2020, Nevada posted a $659.6 million sports betting handle. Despite seeing fewer tourists than last year, sports betting increased 21.3% from October 2019. Online mobile sports betting was responsible for a little over half of the handle in October 2020.

The market leader in Nevada is William Hill. The company boasts 32% of the total gross revenue market share in the state and attributes 69% of its bets taking place through its online channels. William Hill was recently acquired by Caesars Entertainment in a deal that values the company at $3.7 billion.

Related Companies: William Hill

Pennsylvania

October 2020 Total Handle: $525.8 million

Online Percentage: 89.8%

Fox football betting app. Market Leader: FanDuel

Pennsylvania is becoming one of the hottest online sports betting markets in the United States. I was in Philadelphia in September and every street corner had some sort of sports betting advertisement. The state set a sports betting handle record in September and followed that up with another record in October, reaching $525.8 million.

Online sportsbooks are aggressively going after the market with Penn National Gaming debuting the Barstool Sportsbook app in the state and DraftKings partnering with the Philadelphia Eagles to bring a premium lounge to Lincoln Financial Field.

However, the current market leader in the state is FanDuel. FanDuel sportsbook was responsible for $185 million of the October handle, followed by DraftKings ($123.4 million).

Related Companies: Flutter Entertainment, DraftKings, Penn National Gaming

Rhode Island

September 2020 Total Handle: $31.3 million

Online Percentage: 44.7%

Market Leader: William Hill

Rhode Island set a record in September 2020 for online betting with a total mobile handle of $14 million. The total handle in September topped $30 million, setting a 2020 record for the state. Rhode Island only has two sportsbooks in the entire state, and both are powered by William Hill, giving William Hill the entire market share.

If you are wondering why Rhode Island only has two sportsbooks in the entire state, taxes could be playing a role. Rhode Island imposes a whopping 51% tax on operators, making The Ocean State the highest taxed sports betting jurisdiction in the world.

Where Is Sports Betting Legal

Related Companies: William Hill

Indiana

October 2020 Total Handle: $207.5 million

Online Percentage: 83.5%

Market Leader: DraftKings

Indiana, like many other states on this list, hit a sports betting handle all-time high in September, surpassing $200 million for the first time. Sports betting in Indiana launched in October 2019 with three books, DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetRivers, and the former is the current market leader.

In October 2020, DraftKings ($90.5 million) and FanDuel ($63.6 million) accounted for close to 80% of the total online handle in the state. BetMGM came in third boasting a $20.1 million monthly handle.

The current market leaders will need to keep an eye out for William Hill / Caesars who made their intent to enter the market clear by signing a multi-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts.

Related Companies: Flutter Entertainment, DraftKings, William Hill

Iowa

October 2020 Total Handle: $81.9 million

Online Percentage: 69.1%

Market Leader: William Hill

Iowa legalized sports betting in May 2019 and William Hill, Elite Sportsbook, and PointsBet launched later in the year. In October 2020, the state hit a sports betting all-time high with $81.9 million in total handle. The overall online handle of $56 million during the month was also a record high for the state. William Hill, the market leader, accounted for close to $35 million in bets.

Legal States For Marijuana

Related Companies: DraftKings, William Hill

Illinois

September 2020 Sports Betting Handle: $305 million

Online Percentage: 92%

Market Leader: BetRivers

The sports betting handle in Illinois rose to $139.8 million in August, a 166.7% increase from July. The market leader for the month was BetRivers, which accounted for around 85% of the total handle during the month. However, this type of market share should not be expected to be maintained. Due to pandemic related in-person registrations closures and a complicated executive order by the governor, FanDuel and DraftKings were essentially unable to register new users for the entire month.

September should look different as it will be the first full month where FanDuel and DraftKings can freely onboard users. Also, William Hill and PointsBet entered the market in September. All this new competition should cut into BetRivers’ 85% market share from August.

September Update: As expected, in September 2020, BetRivers market share was reduced by new competition in the Illinois market. DraftKings brought in more than $95.8 million in wagers and nearly passed BetRivers, which led all online sportsbooks in September with a $98.5 million handle.

Related Companies: Flutter Entertainment, DraftKings, William Hill

West Virginia

September 2020 Total Handle: $76.9 million

Online Percentage: 77%

Market Leader: DraftKings

Sports betting in West Virginia saw a major boost from August to September. Total handle increased 90%, while revenue jumped 133% month-over-month. Currently, there are four major players operating in the state - William Hill, FanDuel, BetMGM, and the market leader, DraftKings.

Since launching in August 2019, DraftKings and its partner in the state, Hollywood Sportsbook, have seen $296 million in handle, with $94 million of that total coming from online bets.

BetMGM and FanDuel operate under the same license with The Greenbrier. The combined groups have brought in a total handle of $143 million, with $131 million of that total taking place online.

Related Companies: Flutter Entertainment, DraftKings, William Hill

Colorado

October Total Handle: $210 million

Online Percentage: 98%

Market Leader: DraftKings

Colorado sports betting has been on fire since its launch in May 2020. Sports betting in the state has seen a month-to-month increase in overall betting handle for five consecutive months. In July, CO passed $50 million in total handle for the first time; in September, the monthly handle surpassed $200 million. The growth can be attributed to a surge in online app accessibility. Bettors in Colorado can already wager on over ten different mobile apps, including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, BetRivers, and more. Users seem to be buying into the digital experience with over 98.4% bets being placed online since July 2020.

Estimates suggest that DraftKings is the market leader in Colorado followed by FanDuel, with both operators accounting for 84% of the state’s total gross gaming revenue since sports betting went live in the state in May.

Related Companies: Flutter Entertainment, DraftKings, William Hill

Oregon

September 2020 Total Handle: $26 million

Online Percentage: 100%

Market Leader: DraftKings-SBTech / Oregon Lottery

Oregon sports betting is complicated to say the least. The state only allows bettors to wager online through one app, Scoreboard, which is a partnership between the Oregon Lottery and SBTech. The app launched in October 2019 and as of March 2020, the Oregon Lottery had lost $2 million on the venture despite seeing ~$6 million in revenue. This is due to a complicated arrangement between the Oregon Lottery and SBTech who, according to Legal Sports Report, may have the better end of this deal. DraftKings and SBTech merged back in April 2020.

Oregon set a sports betting all-time high in September with $26 million in handle with football responsible for the majority of the action.

Related Companies: DraftKings

Washington DC

September 2020 Total Handle: $15.4 million

Fanduel Sportsbook Legal States List

Online Percentage: 20%

Market Leader: GameBet

Just like Oregon, online sports betting in Washington DC is only allowed through a government operated app. Washington DC allows bettors to wager online through GameBetDC, an app operated by the DC Lottery. The app has a 1.6 out of 5 rating in the Apple Store and is being dominated by the only alternative in the city, the land-based William Hill sportsbook in the Capital One Arena.

In September, the William Hill retail sportsbook saw $12.2 million in wagers, close to four times more than the $3.2 million wagered on GameBetDC during the month.

Despite having the advantage of being the exclusive online offering, GameBetDC’s competition is only getting stronger. William Hill is opening a brand new luxurious sportsbook and premium lounge in the Capital One Arena in 2021 (the current set up is temporary due to the pandemic) and FanDuel is set to launch a retail sportsbook with D.C. United inside Audi Field.

Related Companies: William Hill

New Hampshire

October Total Handle: $47 million

Online Percentage: 85%

Market Leader: DraftKings

New Hampshire set a state record in October by reaching $47 million in total sports betting handle, with 85% of that handle coming online. 100% of the online handle was placed on the state’s only mobile sportsbook, DraftKings. The DraftKings Sportsbook app saw $40 million in handle during the month of October in New Hampshire.

Related Companies: DraftKings

Where Is Draftkings Sportsbook Legal

Table

* Information based off of September 2020 / October 2020 data. William Hill is the overall market leader in Washington DC, GameBet is the market leader for online betting because it is the only option allowed in the DC for online betting.

Looking for more Sports Betting content?

Fanduel Sportsbook States Allowed

For more information, please visit roundhillinvestments.com or follow us on twitter @roundhill.