Three states -'Kansas, Maine, and Massachusetts'- legalized sports betting in 2022. Those three additions leave 16 U.S. states without legal sports betting platforms.
Among those 16 are states with massive populations that hold the attention of sports betting operators, including California, Florida, and Texas. While legal sports wagering in those states doesn’t appear imminent, they could make progress in 2023, and a few other jurisdictions appear poised to legalize this year.
Let’s take a closer look at the states that could legalize sports betting, or expand to include mobile wagering, in 2023.
Most likely to legalize in 2023
Georgia: No. 1 University of Georgia plays for College Football Playoff title Monday, but fans won't be able to legally wager on the game inside Georgia state lines. Could that change in the future?
Perhaps, as Georgia's legislative session also begins Monday. There's an expectation that legal sports betting will come up during the session, although a legal sports betting launch in the state figures to be at least a couple of years away.'
New Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is a supporter of legal sports betting, which could be impactful. He's hopeful the state can make strides toward legalizing in 2023, perhaps putting a proposal in front of voters in 2024.'
“I've been consistent about the positive return and revenues that safe, secure, and legal sports betting could generate for our state – and look forward to working with the General Assembly to hopefully make it a reality this upcoming legislative session,” Jones told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.