Tribal Sports Betting

In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on single-game sports wagering, allowing individual states to legalize sports betting. Nearly every state has at least considered legalizing sports wagering. By now, a majority of states (plus Washington, D.C.) have legalized sports betting, whether in-person (i.e., physical or retail), mobile, or both.

In many of the states that have legalized sports wagering, American Indian tribes own and operate casinos, and until the authorization of commercial sports betting, may have had exclusive rights to offer gaming at all. Under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 (IGRA), sports wagering is a Class III game, requiring an approved tribal-state compact to be in place. A growing number of tribes are considering or have opened sports books, either under existing compact provisions or following the negotiation of amended compacts.

This map identifies states with either Class II or Class III tribal gaming operations under IGRA. It also provides information on which tribes have currently authorized and/or operational sports books. The map also provides capsule information on a state-by-state basis as to how many tribes have either retail (in-person or physical) or mobile sports books, and the type of relevant compact provisions authorizing such gaming.

The data and information provided are current as of September 1, 2022. Source authorities include the National Indian Gaming Commission, state and tribal gaming commissions or similar regulatory agencies, and relevant tribal-state compacts adopted pursuant to IGRA as well as state law and tribal ordinances, as well as the American Gaming Association and other industry trade association and media outlets.

Additional Notes

New York: The seven tribal casinos located in New York state all operate retail sports books. In 2021, New York authorized mobile sports betting. Under the new law, the server must be physically located on the premises of one of the state’s commercial casinos. The law allows for tribes to partner with a commercial casino, either through a revenue-sharing arrangement with the tribe (operators who enter into such agreements will have an advantage in competing for a license) or to locate the tribe’s server on the casino’s premises. Tribes also are eligible to seek an operator license under state law (that is, as a commercial gaming operator).

Nevada: Two tribal casinos located in Nevada operate sports books: the Wa She Shu Casino & Travel Plaza (in partnership with the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno) and the Avi Resort & Casino (William Hill Race & Sports Book, including mobile app). Under the tribal-state gaming compacts, tribes are authorized to operate all Class III games that are legal in the state.

Mississippi: Tribal casinos in Mississippi were the first to launch sports books following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 decision in Murphy v. NCAA. The tribal-state gaming compacts permit the tribes to operate sports betting to the same extent as it is legal for non-tribal operators in Mississippi. This includes the ability to offer mobile wagering on the casino’s property.